Board of Education Policy 8418
A student will be bused to before- and/or after-school licensed child care locations within the elementary attendance boundaries established for the student's school (listed below). In recognition of the needs of some families, a student will be bused to alternate sites outside the student's elementary attendance boundary providing that there is no additional cost to the district. The superintendent shall promulgate administrative regulations in compliance with this policy.

New elementary attendance boundaries were adopted by the Board of Education January 9, 2007.  Child care arrangements in place as of January 9, 2007, will be accommodated.  If these arrangements should change, they must conform to this regulation.

Transportation to a child care location outside the attendance boundaries may involve a longer bus ride than usual. It may also involve riding a shuttle bus, or pick-up and drop-off at a centralized site. If a centralized site is used, the student's parents may be required to take responsibility for transportation between home and the centralized site.

 *Route 146 corridor describes an area encompassing day care provides located along and just north and south of Route 146.

Note: Elementary attendance boundaries are subject to change to accommodate changes in our elementary population. If new boundaries are established, it is possible that the busing availability will also change.

For a student whose family's request for alternate busing is not met by Policy 8418, assignment to a school outside the student's attendance zone boundaries may be considered under the "extreme hardship" provision of Policy 5153, Assignment of Students to Schools.

Click here for the form to request transportation to/or from a childcare provider

Under State Education Law, the Board of Education is required to provide transportation for resident pupils who attend non-public schools.  The provision of this transportation is broken into two categories – students residing under fifteen (15) miles from the school attended and students residing over fifteen (15) miles from the school attended.  They are:

• NEIGHBORHOOD BUS STOPS: Transportation from neighborhood bus stops is provided to non-public schools when the distance from the center of the pupil’s driveway to the drop-off point at the school is fifteen miles (15) or less.  The distance is measured by the nearest available publicly maintained route. The parent is responsible for transportation of the pupil to/from the pick-up point.
• CENTRAL PICK-UP POINTS: Transportation is provided from central pick-up points when the approved school is over fifteen (15) miles from the student’s residence (measured as above).  An approved school is one attended by students living within fifteen (15) miles of the school.

APRIL 1 IS THE DEADLINE EACH YEAR FOR APPLYING FOR NON-PUBLIC (PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS) TRANSPORTATION. An application should be filed, even if the parent (guardian) has not made a final decision.  The deadline for requests for transportation from new residents of the district is thirty (30) days after establishing residence in the district. The school district continues to permit parents of non-public school children to submit transportation requests for more than one (1) school by the April 1 deadline and/or permit parents to transfer the original request by the April 1 deadline.  However, all requests must be finalized no later than May 15 of each school year. A child must be five years old on or before December 1 of the school year for which busing is requested to be eligible for busing ( same as public school).

If a parent has made appropriate application for a respective non-public school by April 1 and then, for whatever reason, moves within the school district, a new application for transportation from the new address should be made, as soon as possible, and must be made within thirty (30) days of the move to ensure busing.  If the mileage exceeds fifteen (15) miles, it will become the parents’ responsibility to transport the child to an appropriate pick-up point.

Each year the director of transportation will establish centralized pick-up points based on the requests filed for busing by the parent’s (guardian’s) of non-public students by the April 1 deadline.  The district is not responsible for providing transportation from home to or from the pick-up point.  However, a district may provide school bus transportation to a student if the residence of the student is located on an established route for the transportation of students to the centralized pick-up point, provided such transportation does not result in additional costs to the district.

A student who lives more than fifteen (15) miles from the non-public school he or she attends, and who is receiving transportation between that school and a central pick-up and drop-off point, may disembark from the bus at an established bus stop other than the central drop-off point.  In that case, the student’s parent (guardian) must submit a signed request identifying the bus stop at which the student is to disembark.  Moreover, an adult living within .2 miles of the bus stop must be designated as being responsible for the student once he/she leaves the bus.  A new bus stop may not be established to accommodate a request pursuant to this regulation.  This regulation does not authorize a student to transfer to a different bus, or to use any bus other than that which runs between the school the student attends and the central pick-up or drop-off point.

Bus routes to non-public schools will be consolidated insofar as practical.  In scheduling pick-up and delivery times, priority will be given to those non-public schools with the greatest number of students enrolled from the Shenendehowa Central School District boundaries.

Click here for the form to request transportation to a non-public school

BUS STOP
Shenendehowa does not provide house to house pickup due to the large number of students. Bus stops are selected based on student safety considerations and route efficiency. These include (among others), the student’s age, the type of road, its speed limit, the proximity of residences, whether it is straight or curved, and the number of students needing pick-up or drop-off in the area.  
For kindergarten students, the stop is located as close to the house as possible. Students in gr. 1-5 may be required to walk up to 2/10 of a mile to a bus stop and students in grades 6-12 may walk up to 3/10 of a mile.
If you have a safety concern regarding your child's stop, call the transportation department and it will be reviewed immediately. If it is a convenience request, please submit a letter to the transportation department and your request will be evaluated by the routing department.
BUS RIDE
Our bus routes are developed as efficiently as possible. On average our buses pick up 65 students, sometimes making as many as 25 stops. Because of this, ride time can vary depending on the school and pick up area. If you feel your child's ride is too long, please submit a letter to the transportation department and your concern will be evaluated by the routing department.

Can a friend come home on the bus with my child?
Parents (guardians) may request a short-term busing change on an occasional basis, for instance, in order for a student to visit a friend after school, scout meetings, or similar events.  In these cases, the student should bring a note from the parent (guardian) to the principal who will authorize this request by stamping the note or issuing a pass if seats are available on the bus. 

Do buses have assigned seats?
In some cases. It is at the discretion of the driver.

Do kindergartners sit with older students on the bus?
Kindergarten students are assigned to the front seats.

Can children bring ski equipment or large musical instruments on the bus?
New York State Department of Transportation and federal regulations PROHIBIT bringing large items and musical instruments on school buses. All of the items that the child will be bringing to school should be packed in a carrying case, such as a tote bag or backpack, which must be small enough to be held on the student’s lap.  Large items and food for class parties may not be transported by school bus.

• The following items are a partial list of what is allowed on the bus if held on lap: Piccolo, oboe, flute, soprano clarinet, bassoon, snare drum, alto saxophone, French horn, trumpet, violin, and viola.
• Large items are not allowed on the bus – these include, but are not limited to: Alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contra bass clarinet, trombone, baritone saxophone, cello, guitar, tenor saxophone, tuba, baritone horn, string bass, large school projects, skateboards, bikes, fishing poles, skis and poles, and sleds.
• Other items not allowed on the bus. These include, but are not limited to: Any weapons, pets or any live animals, glass containers, and aerosol cans.

What happens in the event of a bus accident?
In the event of a bus accident, our transportation department and the police are called immediately to investigate. Emergency medical personnel are called if necessary and all students are seen by the school nurse. Parents are notified if necessary. All accidents are reported to the New York State departments of Transportation and Motor Vehicles. The bus must be checked by the N.Y.S. Department of Transportation before it can return to its route.

Other commonly asked questions are answered in the transportation handbook (pdf file).

All parents should read this information carefully and review it in detail with your child(ren). Our drivers are trained and tested in these procedures, and we ask that you trust their judgment and wait for your child at the curb.

• Students should arrive at the bus stop approximately 10 minutes early.
• Students should wear a backpack rather than carry a tote bag, if possible, to keep hands and arms free.  (If an item which is too large to fit  in the backpack must be brought to school, please drive your child that day or make other arrangements for his/her safety and the safety of the others riding the bus.)
• Nothing should be dangling from students clothing or backpack (i.e. key changes, strings, etc.).
• Good behavior is important to ensure a safe and pleasant ride for our students.  Of course, kids will be active, particularly during the afternoon ride.  However, they are expected to stay in the bus seats, speak in "inside" voices and listen for driver’s instructions (and only the driver’s instruction, particularly when crossing in front of the bus).
• Please teach your children to be careful in the danger zones. Ten feet around the perimeter of a bus is the danger zone. The most dangerous spots are in the front and back right corner.

Please be aware:

• Our drivers are trained to be aware of conditions along the route such as sudden thunderstorms or unusual occurrences in a neighborhood such as an unfamiliar car. However, it is still important to advise your children to go directly home or directly to their child care location.
• Video cameras are used on our buses on a rotating basis to help monitor activity on the bus and also to reinforce acceptable behavior. Approximately, 90% of our buses have outside public address systems and a stop sign arm (on the side). All buses are equipped with two-way radios.
• Please use parking areas, not bus ports for drop off and pick up of students. Bus ports are for buses only.
• Speed limit on campus is 15 m.p.h.
• On school property (including the entire main campus), New York State law applies: Do not pass any bus with its red lights flashing.
• At each stop, the driver will carefully observe the number of students crossing and account for all these students.
• The driver shall not open the door of the school bus until she/he observes that the road is clear and that no danger exists.
• The driver - when receiving or discharging students who must cross a street - shall instruct the students to:

1. Look left and right before stepping off the bus.
2. Walk at least 10 feet in front of the bus within the vision of the driver (if the child can’t see the driver, then the driver cannot see the child).
3. Wait for the driver to signal before crossing.
4. Before passing the bus, stop and look left and right, then proceed across the street.
5. If driver blows the horn, student should return to the side of the road.
6. At no time should students return to the bus after crossing.