FILE: ED
Cf: EDC
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
The Acadia Parish School Board shall provide to eligible students school transportation services which shall meet the objectives of safety, efficiency, adequacy, and economy. Through the use of publicly and privately owned buses, the 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 Board and outlined in the Acadia Parish Transportation Manual. It shall be unlawful for the School Board to permit the transport at one time a number of children on a school bus that exceeds the number of seats available on that bus.
All vehicles, owned by either the school district or contract bus operators, shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law. Contract bus operators who purchase their own insurance shall be required to annually submit to the Superintendent or designee proof of proper and valid insurance coverage prior to any usage of the bus. Should any coverage aspects or insurance policy provisions change during the year, the bus operator shall notify the Superintendent or designee within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt of notification.
All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned operator and the Superintendent or designee 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. Buses twenty (20) or more model years of age shall be inspected a minimum of three (3) times per year to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students. The third inspection shall be done in April of each year by the Louisiana State Police. No bus shall be operated without a proper inspection tag certifying that a bus has met or exceeded minimum safety standards.
All school buses used to transport students shall at all times be driven by operators possessing a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and having completed state-required pre-service certification training. All school bus operators, including contract 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 Superintendent or designee.
Use of spare buses for emergencies or breakdowns shall be limited to no more than thirty (30) days for each occurrence.
BUS PURCHASES
It is the policy of the Acadia Parish School Board that any used school bus purchased for use in the system 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. All bus purchases shall require prior approval of the Superintendent. All buses either used to start a new route or to replace an existing bus shall be at least a 65 or 66 passenger bus.
School buses used to transport students, including activity and backup buses, shall not be more than twenty-five (25) years old. All newly purchased or replacement school buses, at the time they are acquired by the owner, shall be ten (10) or less model years old. The number of years shall be reckoned from the date of introduction of the model year. This shall apply to buses purchased by veteran owners/operators, by newly hired owners/operators and by the School Board, individual schools, booster clubs, etc., for the purposes of transporting children to and from school and school-related activities and for use as spare buses. Activity buses for schools shall not be more than ten (10) model years old when purchased or acquired. Spare buses shall be subject to the same age requirements.
When a new bus is purchased or the ownership of a bus is transferred, the operator shall assure that the bus is in compliance with all requirements contained in applicable laws and school district regulations. All buses so purchased shall be required to satisfactorily pass all mandated inspections prior to any usage.
VIDEO EQUIPMENT ON SCHOOL BUSES
As a means to help ensure safety and proper conduct on School Board owned and/or contracted school buses, it shall be the policy of the Board that video surveillance equipment be allowed and/or required when such equipment is requested and approved by the Supervisor of Transportation, and operated under rules and regulations established by the Superintendent.
Purposes for which the video equipment may be used are:
Monitoring behavior and conduct of students on the bus.
Evaluating the conduct and performance of the operator of the bus.
Providing evidence relative to adherence or non-adherence to policies of the Board.
The purchase and installation of such equipment shall be the responsibility of the Board for Board owned buses, or of the contract operators for their buses. Ownership of the equipment, including the housing thereof, shall remain with the Board or contract operator. The Board or contract operator shall have the right and responsibility to remove such equipment, and repair any damage caused by installation of same, when a bus is retired or sold.
Strict adherence to laws and rules of confidentiality shall be maintained in the viewing of tapes and use of equipment to assure compliance with laws and regulations regarding the privacy rights of students and employees.
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. ยงยง17:158, 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, 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, 6-6-94, 7-5-94, 3-6-95, 10-6-97
Acadia Parish School Board