3541.2
REGIONAL SCHOOL
DISTRICT 10
Non-Instructional
Operations
TRANSPORTATION
The Regional School
District #10 Board of Education recognizes its responsibility to provide safe,
courteous and efficient transportation services for its students. Designated routes and bus stops for students
shall be established by the Board of Education through the Business Manager,
with advice of the bus contractors, in accordance with the following
guidelines:
1.
Definitions
a.
“School
transportation” means the procedures, program or fully effective and
implemented plan by which a pupil is conveyed to and/or from school from
his/her residence or the bus stop at public expense whether by use of publicly
owned equipment or by contract. Such
transportation shall be over public roads approved by the municipality or
private roads approved pursuant to C.G.S. Section 10-220c.
b.
“Walking distance”
means the linear measure of a prescribed or authorized pedestrian route between
the pupil’s residence and his school from a point at the curb or edge of a
public or private road nearest the pupil’s residence to a point at the entrance
of the school, or a safe entrance to the school grounds located within one
hundred feet of the school building entrance or the bus pickup area, or the
route from the point on the public thoroughfare nearest the residence to the
school bus or vehicle embarkation point established by the Board of Education.
c.
“One mile walking
distance” means a reasonable measurement of a route to be traversed extending
from the point of measurement at least 5,280 feet, but not more that 5,380
feet.
d.
“Grade K” means
kindergarten, or a school program appropriate to a beginning pupil.
e.
“Hazard” means a
thing or condition, as prescribed in these guidelines, affecting the safety of
pupils walking to and from school or designated point of embarkment (bus stop).
f.
“Pupil” means any
individual of school age enrolled in a public or nonprofit private school
located within the school district or contiguous school district as the case
may be.
2.
Hazardous
conditions
a.
The maximum
walking distance from home to school or to a prescribed point of embarkation
are the following: (1) pupils below the
age of ten, or enrolled in Grade K through 3, one mile; (2) pupils aged ten to
fourteen, or enrolled in the equivalent of grades 4 through 8, at middle
school, one and one-half miles; and (3) pupils aged fourteen and over to
enrolled in grades 9 through 19, two miles.
Any walking route to either the bus stop or the school which is in
excess of the above distances shall be hazardous.
b.
Any street, road,
or highway which has no sidewalk or raised walk areas shall be deemed hazardous
if one or more of the following conditions exist:
1.
For pupils under
age ten, or enrolled in grades K through 3, any street, road or highway
possessing a traffic count of sixty or more vehicles per hour at the time that
pupils are walking to and from school or designated bus stop and where posted
speed limits are in excess of 35 miles per hour.
2.
For all pupils,
the usual or frequent presence of man-made hazards such as open man-holes,
dangerous construction, snow plowed or piled on the walk are making walkways
unusable, loading zones where delivery trucks are permitted to park on
walkways, commercial entrances and exits where cars are crossing walking areas
at speeds in excess of five miles per hour, and the like.
3.
For all pupils
when the line-of-sight visibility together with posted speed limits do not
permit vehicular braking/stopping in accordance with the Connecticut Drivers
Manual or Department of Transportation, Division of Design, except in those
cases in which a road is less than 22 feet unplowed, or 20 feet plowed.
4.
A lake, pond,
stream, culvert, water-way or bridge within ten feet of a walk area shall be
deemed a hazard in the absence of a fence or other suitable barrier fixed
between the pupil and the water for pupils in grades K through 4, except in
those cases in which a road is less than 22 feet unplowed, or 20 feet plowed.
5.
Any area adjacent
and within five feet of a roadway, walkway, sidewalk, or bridge having a drop
of three or more feet per four feet of travel length on either side of the
established lanes, the absence of a fence or other suitable barrier shall be
deemed hazardous for pupils in grades K through 4, except in those cases in
which a road is less than 22 feet unplowed, or 20 feet plowed.
6.
Walking to and
from school or the bus stop at any time prior to one-half hour before sunrise
or any time one-half hour after sunset shall be deemed hazardous for pupils in
grades K through 8.
c.
Any street, road,
walkway, sidewalk or path designated as a walking route for all school pupils
which passes through an area which has a history of aggressive acts of
molestation resulting in actual or threatened physical harm or moral
degradation during the hours when pupils ordinarily walk to or from school
shall be deemed hazardous.
3.
These guidelines
are applicable to private roads approved for passage of school transportation
vehicles in accordance with C.G.S. Section 10-220c. In no case shall this policy be interpreted to require the Board
of Education to transport any student except as identified below in #4 on a
public or private road which is less than 22 feet wide unplowed, or 20 feet
plowed.
4.
Pupils possessing
physical handicaps and/or health conditions rendering them unable to walk to
either the bus stop or school and Special Education pupils shall be judged on
an individual basis.
5.
Designated Bus
Routes and Stops
Bus
routes and stops are developed taking into consideration safety and
efficiency. To this end, the Board of
Education may accommodate one permanent Monday through Friday pick-up and
drop-off schedule for each child per school year provided it is along
established bus routes. In the event a
permanent change to a pick-up and drop-off schedule is needed during a school
year, a written request must be submitted to the school principal at least
three weeks in advance of such change.
Policy adopted: March,
1985
Policy revised: August 23, 1998
Policy revised: June 11, 2001