Special Use of School Buses

Special Use of School Buses

            Transportation of school pupils participating in curricular and extra curricular activities necessitates the operation of school buses beyond the immediate school area.  The following regulations are established to govern the use of school buses for curricular and extracurricular trips:

1. Curricular Activity Trips:

   1. 1. Boards of education exercising the authority to provide transportation for pupils participating in curricular activities beyond the regular local school facilities shall require the participating school officials to submit a planned schedule of such trips to the county superintendent of schools for approval in accordance with county school transportation policy.

      2. The director of school transportation shall be provided a copy of the approved schedule of trips by the county superintendent of schools at a date far enough in advance to arrange and prepare for the provision of safe and adequate pupil transportation.

      3. Only school bus operators employed by the county board of education shall be used to operate school buses used for curricular activity trips.

      4. Each county providing bus transportation to schools for curricular activities shall file at the end of each school month a financial and statistical report provided by the State Director of School Transportation.

1. Extracurricular Activity Trips:

   1. 1. The director of school transportation shall be provided a copy of the approved schedule of trips by the county superintendent of schools at a date far enough in advance to arrange and prepare for the provision of safe and adequate pupil transportation.

      2. Schedules for approved extracurricular activity trips shall not conflict with the regularly organized transportation schedule.

      3. Students being transported on a school bus being operated on an extracurricular activity trip shall, in addition to the school bus operator, be supervised by at least one professional employee of the board of education, and if an additional bus or buses are used each additional bus shall, in addition to the bus operator, be supervised by at least one professional employee of the board of education, or other person approved by the board of education.

      4. Only school bus operators employed by the county board of education shall be used to operate school buses used for extracurricular activity trips.

      5. All buses used for extracurricular activities as defined in Chapter 18, Article 5, Section 13, Subsection 6, of the Code shall be covered by insurance as provided in Subsection 7 of the same Article.

      6. Each county providing bus transportation to schools for extracurricular activities shall file at the end of each school month a financial and statistical report on forms provided by the State Director of School Transportation.

County Policies

• 1. All requests for use of school buses are to be submitted in writing to the transportation director by the Principal of the respective school.  The assistant superintendent will verify the availability of buses and bus drivers.  No bus shall be used for Curricular/Extra-Curricular activities until such Approval is granted by the Director of Transportation.

  2. A letter of request must give activity, date and time of activity, number of students and chaperones participating and number of buses desired.  Only regular employees of the Board of Education may serve as chaperones.

  3. Any activity not sponsored by the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission must be approved by the Board of Education before the transportation director authorizes use of school buses.

  4. A representative of the faculty of the school using transportation facilities shall accompany each bus carrying passengers.  The faculty representative will be responsible for discipline on buses used for special trips.  However, if it should happen that there is a conflict in the driver’s demand on discipline and the faculty member’s, the driver has the final authority on the bus.

  5. Only members of athletic teams, literary teams, or musical groups and representatives of the school officially employed by the Board of Education may be transported.

  6. Bus drivers will be paid through the regular procedures of the Board office payroll department.

  7. The use of bus shall not be granted unless a reasonable bus utilization load is assured.

  8. Schools shall be responsible for damage to school buses on special trips which results from rowdiness or carelessness on the part of the group using the bus.

Adopted:  July 1976

Reference:  Clay County Board of Education Minutes 10-16-72; School Laws of West

                   West Virginia, 18-5-13.

Clay County Board of Education