Pre-Kindergarten Students All Pre-Kindergarten and 4K students are eligible for transportation services. They are expected to adhere to student policies, rules and procedures established by the District. Special education mid-day routes will be scheduled to allow for bus stops at or near the student’s residence, whenever practical. Students will not be dropped off unless visual contact is made with someone at the residence. Pickups for 4K students may be scheduled at existing, nearby elementary group stops, when practical.
Elementary Students: Grades Kindergarten-3 Elementary students, residing 0.6 of a mile or over from the school which they are assigned to attend or, in an unusually hazardous area, will be provided transportation to that school. Special mid-day 4K will be scheduled to allow for bus stops near or at the student’s residence. Boundary exception and Open Enrolled / non-resident students are not considered eligible for transportation since they are not attending their home school.
Intermediate, Middle & High School Students: Grades 4-12 Students in grades 4-12 residing a distance of 1.0 mile or greater from the school which they are assigned to attend or in an unusually hazardous area will be provided transportation. Boundary exception and Open Enrolled / non-resident students are not considered eligible for transportation since they are not attending their home school.
Specialized Required Transportation - Students with disabilities will be eligible for transportation services as provided by law.
Unusually Hazardous Transportation Areas
The Department of Public Instruction provides guidelines for determining if an area is unusually hazardous. This designation must be approved by the county sheriff. Students residing in areas that have been designated as unusually hazardous, for their appropriate grade level, will be provided transportation services if identified in the Districts’ Unusually Hazardous Transportation Plan.
All Students
If there is reasonable doubt that a student cannot reach their home safely, the student will be kept on the bus and brought back to school or 4K provider. The school or administration office will be informed of the circumstances. Once the student is returned to the school or 4K provider, the school will contact the parents/guardians.
The following have been determined to be unusually hazardous:
- Vinburn Road: Between County Highway CV and Highway 51. The narrowness of the roadway and lack of shoulders cause the roadway to be unusually hazardous for students who are required to walk along the roadway.
- Highway 51: The Dane County Sheriff identified Highway 51 to be unusually hazardous. The high volume of vehicle traffic provides hazards for all students required to walk along or across the highway.
- County Highway CV (Lake Road): The highway between Vinburn Road and Windsor Road provides a hazard for all students required to walk along the highway.
- County Highway V (North Street): The openness of the roadway and higher than posted actual speeds of the vehicles provides a hazard for all students required to walk along or across the highway.
- Windsor Road: County Highway CV to the interstate. The roadway is narrow with little or no shoulder present for elementary students to walk along and the posted speed limit of 45 mph poses a danger to elementary students.
- Sections of County Highway DM: Outside the village limits has been considered hazardous due to the high rate of speed and the narrowness of the road. These conditions make it hazardous to walk along.
Residential Child Care Providers
For residential transportation to another residence other than the student’s home, one alternative location may be requested. It is understood that all such arrangements are subject to restrictions based on budgetary limitations, route structure, school boundaries and bus capacity.
The following are the accompanying procedures and limitations under this policy:
- A residential childcare provider must be located on or near an established bus route serving the school building transportation is being requested to/from; the residential childcare provider will be looked at similar to a student residence for eligibility purposes except that routes will not be altered-the bus shall not add mileage to its route-to accommodate requests for services under this policy.
- Requests are submitted to the transportation provider using the Transportation Request Form and will be handled on a first-come, first-serve basis. There must be sufficient space on the bus and service may be suspended if additional children move into the established route area. In the event of the displacement, the last student(s) accepted for transportation services under this policy would be the first displaced.
- Residential childcare arrangements must be consistent on a weekly basis; only a limited number of provider changes will be accepted during the year. Each change will require submission of a new Transportation Request Form.
- A Transportation Request Form for transportation to and from childcare providers must be submitted, approved and renewed each school year.
- Students who are not eligible for transportation may be transported to a residential daycare provider at parent’s/guardian’s expense. All other conditions of the section must be followed.
Non-residential Child Care Providers
Non-residential child care providers will have the ability to participate in an after school cooperative transportation shuttle. Only students enrolled with participating providers may be able to use this service dependent on space availability. Non participating providers will be responsible for providing their own transportation. Parents/guardians should contact their child care provider for confirmation of transportation participation.
Open Enrollment, Tuition, or Other Non-Eligible Students
Provided the following conditions are met, open enrolled students, tuition students, boundary exception students, or others that are not eligible to be transported under the above rules may request in writing to the transportation provider to be allowed access to our transportation services. Students attending a school outside of their regular school's attendance area are ineligible for transportation to the school of attendance but may contract for service if a written request is provided by the parent/guardian, space is available, routes are not modified, and approval by the transportation provider's office is obtained. Parents/guardians will be required to pay a fee to the transportation provider. Rates for this fee are determined by the transportation provider. This applies to students who would normally be eligible for transportation within their home attendance area. Students not normally eligible for transportation within their home attendance area may ride at their parents/guardians expense.
