FILE:  ED

Cf:  EDC

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT

The Assumption Parish School Board shall provide to eligible students school transportation services which shall meet the objectives of safety, efficiency, adequacy, and economy.  The School Board shall maintain a student transportation program that shall conform to or exceed minimum standards as set forth by pertinent statutes and the Louisiana Department of Education, as well as regulations established by the Supervisor of Transportation.  It shall be unlawful for the School Board to permit the transport of a number of children on a school bus that exceeds the number of seats available on that bus.

All vehicles leased by the school district or owned by current contract bus operators shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law.  The School Board shall provide fleet liability insurance for all buses and shall deduct a monthly premium amount from each contract operator/owner bus operator’s payroll check.  For contract owner/operators who may be financing a bus and said financing agency requires physical damage coverage, it will be the responsibility of each owner/operator in this situation to provide said physical damage coverage and afford payment of same.

All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned operator and the Supervisor of Transportation on a regular basis.  All school vehicles shall be inspected a minimum of twice a year, once during June, July or August and certified as safe prior to the beginning of the school session, and once during December, January, or February of each school year, by an approved Louisiana Motor Vehicle Inspection Station.

It is the policy of the Assumption Parish School Board that any school bus used in the parish shall meet current statutory requirements for motor vehicles and shall meet Louisiana specifications for school buses that were in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured.

School buses shall not be older than fifteen (15) years of age or older, except for buses of existing owner/operators as of June 27, 2017, who shall be grandfathered in until a new bus is purchased.  The buses of the existing owner/operators shall be no older than twenty-five (25) years of age.  The number of years shall be reckoned from the date of introduction of the model year.  Buses fifteen (15) years of age or older shall be inspected more frequently than other buses to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students.  Buses deemed unfit shall be retired.  Any current owner-operator whose own bus becomes inoperable (permanent or temporary), unfit, or age-limited, and all newly hired bus operators shall use a bus provided by the Assumption Parish School Board.  Effective November 1, 2023, no individual shall be hired, or contracted, as an owner-operator.

All school buses used to transport students shall at all times be driven by operators, regular and substitute, possessing a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with proper endorsements, and having completed state-required pre-service certification training, in accordance with provisions outlined in Bulletin 119, Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures.  All school bus operators shall be required to personally operate the school bus assigned or owned, except in the case of illness or emergency.  In such cases, a substitute shall be assigned by the Supervisor of Transportation, and said substitute shall be paid via the School Board’s payroll system in accord with School Board salary schedule for substitute bus operators.

For individuals hired as owner-operators before November 1, 2023, ownership of a bus may be transferred between legally-recognized spouses provided that the bus is in compliance with all requirements contained in applicable laws and school district regulations and can satisfactorily pass all mandated inspections prior to any usage.

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

The use of any van (cargo or passenger) in any capacity for the purpose of transporting students to and from any school-related activity shall be prohibited.  However, the use of Multifunction School Activity Buses (MFSAB) is allowed for transporting students to activities.  Although classified as buses, they may not be used for transporting students between home and school bus stops.

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:158, 17:158.1, 17:158.2, 17:158.3, 17:158.4, 17:158.5, 17:158.6, 17:159, 17:159.1, 17:159.2, 17:160, 17:161, 17:162, 17:163, 17:164, 17:165, 17:166, 17:492, 32:293, 32:378

Olive Morgan v. Livingston Parish School Board, First Circuit Court of Appeals, March 1991

Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, Bulletin 119, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 11-2-94, 2-19-03, 6-7-06, 11-3-10, 6-27-17, 10-18-23

Assumption Parish School Board