Transportation

Students that Qualify for Transportation Services

*Please note: Transportation boundaries are subject to change. Open enrolled and intra-district transfer students (students attending a school other than their boundary school) whose parent/guardian has signed a waiver of transportation are not eligible for transportation services regardless of the distance.

Busing information will be communicated before the start of school each year and remains in Parent Portal throughout the school year.

Students may only ride their assigned bus to and from school.

Students should be standing at their assigned bus stop five minutes prior to their scheduled pickup time. Bus route numbers and descriptive pictures will be placed on the side of the bus.

At the discretion of the bus driver, students may be assigned seats at any time.  Elementary and Middle school busses have zone seating(younger students near front, older students in back). 

Students are expected to abide by all school bus safety rules, which are posted in every bus. Students in grades K-10 must attend school bus safety training within the first six weeks of school each year. This training is scheduled during the school day.

Bus stops may be removed from a route if there have been no riders using the stop for ten consecutive days. 

Bus Drivers do not have the authority to change bus stop locations. 

Bus routes are arranged according to geographic area and stops are assigned one to three blocks from a student's home whenever possible.

Students that attend a school whose boundaries cover a large geographic area (i.e. Neuves Fronteras, Math and Science Academy, nonpublic) will be assigned to a station stop. Station stops are assigned based upon the number of students in an area or neighborhood. They are generally within two to four blocks of a student's home and are often centrally located to keep student riding time at a minimum.

State guidelines recommend that no student ride the bus more than one hour each way every day. Bus routes, bus stops and/or times may change during the year based upon student location, road construction projects and various other factors.

Whenever possible, bus stops will be located at corners or intersections. Because of motorist expectations, bus stops at corners or intersections have been deemed the safest. When a bus stops mid-block it can confuse motorists, whereas traffic anticipates the bus will stop or yield at intersections. It also provides the bus driver or substitute driver a landmark (intersection) to identify prior to making the stop so the eight-light warning system can be properly activated to warn the motoring public. This also allows the bus driver to scan the area for students when approaching the intersection.

The designated area that students wait for the bus must be within a bus length to the corner (about 40 feet). The bus driver will designate this area and then communicate this to students as needed. State law and School Board Policy states students can walk up to one mile to a bus stop.

1. SoWashCo Schools' buses will use the eight-light system and stop arm at all stops unless an exception is made in policy or the stop is documented with an explanation. In order to properly operate the eight-light system, a bus stop will not be made within 300 feet of another.
2. Buses serving students with disabilities may stop while using their 4-way hazard lights only at house stops where it takes an extended period of time to load/unload the student. At these stops, the bus will pull over to the curb at the driveway, the student will not be allowed to cross the roadway. Buses will not go into the student's driveway, unless prior approval has been given. The bus horn will not be used to announce arrival.
3. Buses will not generally travel down cul-de-sacs unless the vehicle is picking up a student with special needs. Backing up a school bus is a dangerous maneuver. A full-sized bus needs 115 feet to safely turn and most cul-de-sacs are only 90 feet wide.
4. Unless prior approval has been granted by the transportation department, school buses will not travel on private roads.
5. Bus stops should be located with clear visibility for 150 feet in both directions. Stops in a residential area where the speed limit is 35 mph or less may not be located within 100 feet of each other.
6. Stops in or out of residential areas where the speed limit is 35 mph or greater may not be located within 300 feet of each other.
7. School Buses may load/unload in right-turn lanes if pre-approval has been given. Students may not cross the road the bus is stopped on when the bus stop is located in a right turn lane.
8. There is not a fixed number of students that warrant adding or moving a bus stop. All bus stop change requests are evaluated on an individual basis.
9. Visibility from the home to the bus stop is not a criteria for establishing bus stops. We view bus safety as a shared responsibility with families and we rely on families to ensure a student's personal safety to and from the bus stop.
10. Stranger-Danger criteria is a considerable factor only when documented and verified by the transportation department with a law enforcement agency.
11. A student's assigned bus driving by their home does not warrant adding or changing a bus stop. The higher frequency of stops can make the motoring public 'impatient', causing motorists to drive around the bus, which is a greater safety concern than the distance a student has to walk to the bus stop. A high number of bus stops also contributes to longer riding time for students.

 Intra-district transfer form and guidelines state the student/parent/guardian is responsible for providing transportation.

Minnesota Statutes require public school districts to provide equal transportation for resident students attending nonpublic schools located within the district. Out of district students attending nonpublic schools within SoWashCo Schools boundaries are not eligible to receive transportation services.

Please call 651-425-5303 if your student will be absent from Special Education transportation. Please press 1 on the main menu for Special Education Routing.

The following daycare information will apply:

1. Students in grades PreK-5 are eligible to be considered for an alternate bus stop for daycare purposes. 
2. The licensed daycare provider must be located in the same boundary school attendance area where the child is enrolled.
3. The pickup and drop off location must be the same location each morning and each afternoon throughout the week. Licensed daycare transportation options are:
   • AM Pickup at home → PM drop off at daycare
   • AM Pickup at daycare → PM drop off at daycare
   • AM Pickup at daycare → PM drop off at home

     We cannot accommodate day variant scheduling.

To request an alternate bus stop near a licensed daycare location, please fill out the Alternate Bus Stop Request Form, found in the Transportation Forms section.

Alternate Bus Stop request form must be submitted yearly.

Transportation For Open Enrolled General Education Students

After a student is accepted for open enrollment, families have the option of requesting bus transportation from within the attendance area for the school that the student attends. Transportation would be provided from an existing bus stop located within that attendance area. If the open enrolled student is eligible (grades K-5) to receive transportation to/from a licensed daycare provider, the licensed daycare provider must be located within the regular attendance area for the school that the student attends. 

 Transportation For Open Enrolled Special Education Students

Special education students qualify for transportation services to/from a licensed daycare provider so long as the daycare provider is located within our school district. Special education students will be transported to/from the licensed daycare provider to the in-district school delivering the student’s services.