Transportation FAQs

Students are expected to be out at their stops 5 minutes before the scheduled time of the bus arrival. Buses will not honk for your students.

Public school transportation is governed by Texas Education Code, Sec. 42.155. Under this code, a "Regular eligible student" means a student who resides two or more miles from the student's campus of regular attendance, measured along the shortest route that may be traveled on public roads, and who is not classified as a student eligible for special education services. The school district may apply for and on approval of the commissioner receive an additional amount of up to 10 percent of its regular transportation allotment to be used for the transportation of children living within two miles of the school they attend who would be subject to hazardous traffic conditions if they walked to school. Each Board of Trustees shall provide to the commissioner the definition of hazardous conditions applicable to that district and shall identify the specific hazardous areas for which the allocation is requested. A hazardous condition exists where no walkway is provided and children must walk along or cross a freeway or expressway, an underpass, an overpass or a bridge, an uncontrolled major traffic artery, an industrial or commercial area, or another comparable condition.

Definitions:

"Campus of regular attendance" = home school campus - The ‘home school’ campus is determined by the student’s residential address and the assignment boundary of each school.

"Hazardous traffic conditions" - A road is considered hazardous to student pedestrian traffic under the following conditions: Students must walk along or across a freeway, an expressway, an overpass, or an underpass, where no walkway is provided and/or students must cross an uncontrolled major traffic artery.  Neighborhood streets without a sidewalk are not considered hazardous to pedestrian traffic.

No. Students who voluntarily transfer to a school other than their home campus are not eligible for bus service.

When there is a need to change your child’s drop off destination, the parents can submit a request to the transportation department. It must be within the service area of the school, on an approved route and be an approved stop. If asking for a new stop, it will be reviewed by the department and the parent will be notified if the request is approved or not. A consistent pick-up and drop off location will ensure that your child will be on the right bus going to the right place. Constant changes cause confusion for the child and the bus drivers. Changes to bus stop locations are not allowed unless approved by the Transportation Department. Letters will go out to the parents when routes or stops are changed, prior to the execution of these changes. When there is a need to change your child’s drop off destination, the teacher and the bus driver must have a written note with a parent signature and be approved by the school office personnel.

Bus stops are placed at centralized locations that can be safely accessed by a significant number of students and minimize the time length and mileage of the route. If you have concerns about your child's safety, you are encouraged to accompany your child to the bus stop or arrange for a neighborhood buddy to walk with your child. The Home-to-Stop distances are as follows: elementary school students are up to .35 miles to a bus stop, middle school students are up to .55 miles to a bus stop and high school students are up to .75 miles to a bus stop.

School bus sizes are stated in terms of passenger capacity for elementary students. It is assumed elementary school students will ride three per seat. Middle school students are assumed to ride two to three per seat. High school students are assumed to ride two per seat. If the bus has three elementary school students, two to three middle school students, or two high school students in each seat, it may seem crowded, but it will not be over capacity. It is our goal to fully utilize all the space on all the buses in our fleet.

If the driver is unable to deliver a student home (ie; student lost key, no parent, guardian or approved adult) they will be taken back to their school campus.

If a student is part of a club or athletic sport, they can bring their equipment if it is secured in a bag and doesn't take up a seat from another student. This includes but is not limited to: basketballs, soccer balls, baseball bats, golf clubs, tennis balls, etc.

Band Instruments must be able to fit in the lap of the student and not take up a seat from another student.

If your student is bringing a skateboard on the bus, the following conditions must be met:

1.    The school must have an established and scheduled official activity involving skateboards;

2.    The school has provided Transportation with a list of attendees;

3.    The student carrying the skateboard is on that list; and

4.    Skateboards must be secured to the student's backpack or in a bag.