Student Rules and Regulations for School Buses

Parents - Caution your students. A bus driver that is distracted, will not be watching the road or cars around the bus. The bus is an extension of the classroom and all school rules apply on the bus. Riding the bus is a privilege.

• Pupils must obey bus drivers promptly as they are in full charge of buses and pupils while in transit.
• Pupils should be on time at their designated bus stop. (We suggest five minutes before designated pickup time). The bus must remain on schedule to get all the students to school on time.
• Pupils should cross in front of a bus when crossing a highway, not in back of a bus.
• Pupils should stay off the roadway at all times while waiting for the bus.
• Pupils should wait until the bus has come to a complete stop before attempting to enter or leave the bus. Only the front door should be used, except in the case of an emergency.
• Occupy seat and refrain from moving while the bus is in motion. There should be NO moving around or changing seats on the bus, except as arranged by the bus driver.
• Pupils should keep their hands and heads inside of the bus at all times.
• Observe classroom conduct while getting on and off the bus and riding. There should be no loud talking, but conversation in normal tones is permissible.
• Pupils should not cause trouble by teasing, pullling hair, scuffling or using inappropriate language, etc. Fighting participants may be banned from riding the bus in the future.
• Throwing articles of any kind in a bus is more dangerous than anything else and will not be tolerated.
• Any pupil disfiguring or mutilating a bus will be required to pay for the damage, and may be denied further use of buses.
• Pupils should help to keep buses clean, sanitary and orderly. Place trash in garbage receptacle when exiting the bus. Students littering on the bus may be required to sweep the bus.
• There will be no eating, drinking or smoking on the bus at any time.
• No dangerous items (matches, lights, weapons of any kind, etc.) should be brought on the bus.

Bus Regulations

Only regularly scheduled bus students are to ride the school buses. If for some reason a student is to ride another bus, written notification from the parent is required by noon. These notes are to be turned in to the office for approval. The building principal must approve any emergency after noon.

Isn't the school district required to transport my child?

School districts are NOT required by law to transport regular education children. Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) 380.1321 outlines the obligations of the school district IF its board of education elects to provide transportation. Under Article 3 of the Revised School Code, the school district is obligated to provide for the transportation of a special education student if the Individualized Educational Planning Committee (IEPC) has determined that the transportation is a specialized service which is included within and necessary to carry out the student's IEP.

My child is starting kindergarten. Will the bus pick my child up in front of my house?

There are no special laws or regulations for transporting regular education students enrolled in kindergarten. If your district provides transportation, it will be provided in accordance with the requirements of MCL 380.1321, Section 55 of the Pupil Transportation Act, and local district policy with regard to the placement of the bus stop.

Is there a law about how far my child has to walk to the bus stop?

No law specifies the maximum distance a student may walk to the bus stop.

Is there a specified distance that must exist between school bus stops?

The lights on a school bus which are used to notify other traffic of an upcoming stop must be by law be activated 200 feet from the stop. Thus, bus stops must be at least 200 feet apart.

What other factors are involved in establishing where the school bus stops?

There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when school administrators establish the placement of school bus stops. The basic legal factors are spelled out in MCL 257.1855, but the primary concern is visibility of the bus to other traffic and the consideration of stopping distances necessary for other motor vehicles in order to accomplish safe loading and unloading of the children. In general, state law requires 400 feet of clear and continuous visibility on a highway or roadway where the speed limit is more than 35 miles per hour, and 200 feet where the speed limit is less than 35 miles per hour. There is no state law which specifies a maximum distance between stops.

What about the safety of my child getting to and from the bus stop? There are no sidewalks where we live and it's not very safe walking on the busy road we live on.

It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to see that a child gets safely to and from the bus stop. The school district provides transportation as a non-mandated service and establishes placement of the bus stops in accordance with the requirements of the law.

Is there a law stating that an adult riding on a school bus for monitoring purposes be seated at a specific location on the bus?

There are no law pertaining to this issue. In most cases when adults are assigned to monitor students that are being transported on a bus, they are near the student or students who possess the greatest amount of supervisory need.

My child spends over two hours a day just riding the bus to and from school. Is there a maximum riding time in the law?

There is no maximum riding time in the law for children in kindergarten through grade twelve. Child care licensing regulations establish a maximum riding time of 60 continuous minutes for the transportation of preschool children.