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Routes and schedules are planned to minimize individual
riding distances and time students spend on the bus. In rural areas,
between 1 and 1½ hours is considered as the maximum desirable riding
and transfer time for a student going to or from a non-public
school. This goal is based on an assumed Service Area where the
farthest stop is not more than 6-10 miles from the school. Students
needing transportation farther than these distances will result in
students time on buses to exceed these goals.
Note: St. Mary's County Non-Public School contract buses are
identified by a 2 digit bus number.
According to the annual State Department of Education Fact
Book 2007-2008 , the State of Maryland's average cost for school
transportation rose from $4.10 per route mile (equal to $822 per
student) to $4.39 per route mile (equal to $867 per student).
During this time, St. Mary’s Public Schools operational costs
rose from $2.88 per route mile ($661 per student) to $2.95 per
route mile ($ 700 per student). The St. Mary’s County Non-Public
School Transportation System is a separate bus system from that
of the Board of Education and operated at $2.83 per route mile
or $861 per student in 2008. The Transportation Division is
responsible for Non-Public student transportation, passenger
safety, bus routing, bus driver training programs and arranging
for qualified drivers. It is estimated that over
700,000 miles will be driven by our drivers this year! At
present, there are 43 buses which transport between 1,600 and
1,900 students per year.
Public Law
If there is a student whose family resides in St. Mary’s County,
there is No Charge for using the non-public school
transportation system. However, there is a $750 per student per year
charge for all out-of-County residents based on the fee schedule
determined for the current school year.
Any changes in the out-of-County fee may be obtained by dialing our
Non-Public Schools Division at (301) 863-8400 x 1124.
Individual with Disabilities Education Act
A disabled child,
whose parents choose to send
to private school, is entitled to have made available the same
services available to the child were he to attend public school as
proscribed under federal regulations. Under the Americans with
Disabilities Act, a public entity may not operate a fixed-route
system without paratransit or other special transportation services.
The St. Mary’s County Non-Public School Transportation System makes
reasonable accommodations to requests and provides services to
persons with disabilities. A
Request For Transportation must be
completed and submitted to the Office either by mail or fax at (301)
866-6797.
Safety Tips As parents, you are an important part of a total safety program for
children who travel by school bus. Children need to learn to be safe pedestrians as they
walk to and from the bus as well as to be safe riders when they are on the bus.
Our obligation for the safe transportation of students and the general
public is of critical importance to us. The Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) spot
checks our inspections and is present during at least one of our three
comprehensive inspections each year. Manufacturer's
capacity rating for contractor buses includes room for three students per
seat. We require background checks,
finger prints, driving records, pre-employment physicals, and drug
testing before allowing contractors to place their drivers "behind
the wheel". The County carriers the liability insurance on these buses
and all contractors are required to have the appropriate collision
insurance. You can
help by reviewing the simple safety tips on these links;
Cellular Phone Use by Drivers
The St. Mary’s
County DPW&T Transportation Division is aware that many states have
passed regulations regarding the usage of cellular phones while
driving. Although
Maryland is not yet one of those states, we believe that the use of
cellular phones while driving can be a distraction. Therefore, we
have initiated the following guidelines:
þ
STS and Non-Public School Bus Drivers must pull to the side of the
road out of the traffic stream and be at a complete standstill
before placing an out-going call or receiving an in-coming call.
þ
The Drivers may not make outgoing personal or receive incoming
personal calls while transporting clients.
þ
The dispatchers and / or Transportation Office may, from time to
time, find it necessary to contact the drivers. If the driver is not
at a standstill and out of the traffic stream, the driver should
then call the caller as soon as he/she is at a standstill and out of
the traffic stream.
þ
The Drivers are expected to have the bus’s mobile radio on and be
available on the radio at all times.
Transportation Guidelines and Procedures The Transportation
Division has provided the following information to acquaint you with
our guidelines and procedures related to the school bus routes and bus
stops for non-public school bus transportation. Our primary goal is
the safe transportation of students to and from school. It is also
important that parents assume a scope of responsibility at the bus
stop, including getting children to and from bus stops. The
contractors utilized by the County to perform non-public school bus
transportation services shall be qualified and must enter into a
Contractor Services Agreement
each year. A
Parent / Student Handbook
is also distributed by the bus divers to each family (via the
student riding the bus) and contains more information about the
program. Our Handbook is designed for the "print on both sides"
option on most personal computers. Additional hard copies are
available by contacting the Transportation Division at (301)
863-8400 x 1124.
Transportation Guidelines
Bus routes shall
be planned to achieve maximum safety of operation with maximum economy
within the limitations of rules and regulations governing
transportation. Transportation services must also be efficient and
cost effective.
1. Bus routes
will not be extended or stops scheduled unless an eligible pupil
would otherwise be required to walk in excess of ½ mile for elementary
school (grades 1-8) and/or 1 mile for high school (grades 9-12),
exceptions are cul-de-sacs, non-through streets and private property.
This provision shall be used to reduce excessive time and miles
traveled whenever possible and practical.
2. Routes are
planned to keep individual riding distance and time to a practical
minimum. In rural areas, between one (1) and one-and-a-half (1½)
hours should be considered as the maximum riding and transfer time for
a pupil going to or from a non-public school. The above time
limitations are goals and are based on the farthest stop not being
more than 6-10 miles from the school.
3. In
establishing bus schedules, the objective is to arrange for buses to
arrive at school no later than ten to fifteen (10-15) minutes before
the scheduled beginning of classes. When taking students home, our
contractor’s buses pick-up and transfer students at multiple schools
and actual departure from the last school serviced may be as much (20)
minutes beyond the scheduled end of class.
4. Bus routes are
planned with a maximum of four (4) stops per mile whenever possible
and practical. This provision may be altered in extreme safety
situations. The number of stops should be limited as much as
possible. Therefore, where several children from several homes can
meet safely at a single point, it should be the only stop.
5. In accordance
with the Code of St. Mary’s County Chapter 116 Section 2, the County
Commissioners of St. Mary’s County levy and appropriate annually
sufficient funds it deems desirable to establish new routes and to
purchase additional buses for transportation to and from school of
children attending schools not receiving state aid.
6. Transfer points
will be used for buses picking up students from a geographic area for
multiple schools. Transfer points are not considered bus stops.
Students will remain on the bus until such time that the transfer bus
is parked in their designated parking area(s) and is ready to accept
the direct boarding of students. Students are not allowed into
schools or businesses during this time.
7.
Transportation
service should be provided from a point on or along a public road
that is nearest or most accessible to the students' home
to a point nearest or most accessible to
their respective school without changing or disrupting the
existing bus route(s). The Board of County Commissioners for St.
Mary's County are authorized to fund additional routes or purchase
additional buses, if needed.
Transportation Procedures The two
fundamental criteria used in determining bus routes and stops are
safety and efficiency of scheduling.
1.
Safety of
routes/stops
The following
includes excerpts from MSDE COMAR
13A.06.07, Student Transportation.
a.
State
laws related to school bus transportation must be met.
Stops should be determined first by safety, then by guidelines.
Four-lane highways
and roads,
where
the most
recent
State
Highway Administration Traffic
Survey reported 15,000 or more cars per day,
shall be routed to pick up on the
side of the roadway where students
reside.
b.
Stops
will not be established where traffic and/or other hazards may
indicate a threat to the safety of the children as determined by the
Transportation Manager. Stops
should be located, whenever possible,
to maximize the visibility of the
stopped bus for approaching traffic.
c.
Students are not typically scheduled to cross arterial and major
collector roads to reach their bus stop.
d.
Buses
will typically not travel on County roads that have not yet been
accepted into the
County Highway
maintenance system or into areas of construction.
e.
Consistent pick-up and drop-off locations are desired. There may be
different pick-up location than drop-off, but each should be the same
every day.
f.
Bus
stops will be permanent whenever practical, allowing the public to
become familiar with stop locations.
g.
Unless
it is a group or clustered bus stop, a designated person must meet all
students at their stop who are under the age of 8. A group bus stop
serves more than one family and there should be at least
one designated person present or visible at the stop, unless all of
the students are older than eight years of age.
h.
Off-road loading zones shall be approved either by the
Transportation Manager,
the Maryland State
Police, or the
local Sheriff
department in cooperation with the State Highway Administration when
applicable. The higher the traffic volume, the more justification
there is
for using off-road loading zones.
2. Efficiency of
Routes
a.
Roads
must be at least 18 feet wide.
b.
Provide
a location for change of bus direction with no backing preferred.
c.
Should
have adequate shoulders to allow the bus to pull off the roadway.
d.
Be kept
clear of snow, sleet, ice, vehicles and other obstructions that would
prevent safe travel of school buses.
e.
Children must be at the designated bus stop at least ten (10) minutes
before the scheduled arrival time
f.
Additional bus stops may not be granted where the efficiency of a
route may be improved.
g.
Non-Public School buses may not go into all subdivisions for student
loading and unloading. If we granted all of the many requests for
additional bus stops in subdivisions, it would have an enormous effect
on the bus schedule and your student’s time on the bus. Therefore,
additional stops are normally not provided even though the bus drives
past your home. Contractor routes are reviewed and adjusted annually.
h.
Generally, buses will not enter non-through streets and private
property. Exceptions may be made if the bus needs to change direction
and the street offers a safer means to turn around.
i.
The
order of loading and unloading of students on any given route is based
on overall system efficiency. Typically, more remote / rural areas
with fewer passengers are picked up first in the morning and dropped
off last in the afternoon.
j.
Routes may use
cluster stops. Cluster stops are determined first for safety, then
by the number of students and the length of time the bus is on a
particular route.
New stop criteria
Requests for
changes/additions of bus stops or routes can come from a parent,
guardian, principals, and/or a concerned member of the community. Stop
changes or additions are not guaranteed to be able to be accommodated
if insufficient notice is provided to the Transportation Division.
Typically, no adjustments are made during the first two (2) weeks of
school. This period is used to adjust the bus routes and make sure
all students are assigned to a bus. Requests for location changes or
new stops should be made in writing at least one (1) week prior to the
start of school.
Any request for a
stop change or new stop should be faxed or e-mailed to the Non-Public
School Transportation Office. In addition, a
Request For Non-Public School Bus
Transportation form is available and should be distributed
during the registration process by each of the participating
non-public schools.
All requests will be reviewed and a response will be given.
This process may take up to two (2) weeks, depending on the number of
requests submitted and the resources of the bus contractor. Appeals to
the decision shall be made in writing to the Transportation Manager
whose decision shall be final.
1. The local school administrators and County have concern for all
of the
items listed in this booklet, but parents have the legal
responsibility for their children as they travel to and from school
as pedestrians or as they travel to and from a school bus stop.
2. The responsibility of the school administrators and County
begins when the children step on the school bus. This responsibility
ceases at
the end of the school day when the school bus departs the unloading
area at the students' normal discharge point.
3. If it is anticipated that a field trip will be returning later
than planned, it is the chaperone(s) and/or school administrator's
responsibility to notify the parents.
4. Questions regarding walking to and from school should be
discussed with the school principal first. If it is necessary to
contact the County Transportation Division, Non-Public School Bus
Supervisor, please call (301)
863-8400 x 1124.
Student’s Role On The Bus
The following
School Bus Regulations are be posted in the front of
each bus and will serve as notice to all new students and remind
returning students who ride the Non-Public buses that they are to be
observed at all times while riding the bus.
Bus Misconduct Notice Bus misconduct
reports are sent to the respective school to inform the school
officials and parents of a disciplinary incident involving your
student. Inappropriate student behavior may jeopardize the safety and
well being of other students on the bus. All
Bus Behavior Forms
documenting notices of misconduct must be signed by the parent and
returned to the school. Guidelines for Discipline include:
1st Offense: Written Warning
2nd Offense: Two-Day Suspension
3rd Offense: Five-Day Suspension
4th Offense: Ten-Day Suspension
Note: Serious
misconduct could result in an immediate suspension of riding
privileges.
Bus Drivers Role
For
individuals interested in driving non-public school buses for the
County, please review the attached School
Bus Specifications,
Contractor Application
and Procedures
for Selecting Non-Public School Bus Contractors. The
bus
driver plays an important and responsible role in every educational
system. In most cases they are the first representative of the
school system to meet the students in the morning and the last to
see them at night. While the students are on the bus, their safety
is in the driver's hands. Your bus drivers should be respected and
appreciated as they are performing a difficult and necessary
service. During the mass movement of students in school buses, part
of the bus drivers' responsibilities includes
1.
Explaining the rules to all students.
2.
Enforcing the rules with all students.
3.
Setting a good example.
4.
Treating all students fairly, firmly, and in a friendly manner.
5.
Correcting students individually, when at all possible.
6.
Stopping the bus if necessary, to restore order.
7.
Never using ridicule for correcting students.
8.
Not picking on the “little” things.
9.
Trying to greet each student by name.
10.
Not venting personal; feelings on students.
Parents Responsibility
Remind your children that riding a school bus is a privilege. This
privilege may be temporarily denied or permanently revoked for
disobeying rules stated in the Student's Role section (above) or if
misconduct of a student jeopardizes the safe operation of the school
bus or the overall safety of the students riding the bus. To keep
this program safe and successful, please be advised of the
following: Parents/Guardians are responsible for the safety
of their children from the time the children leave home until they
board the bus in the morning; and in the afternoon, from the time
the bus departs from the unloading area until the children reach
home. Parents are responsible for ensuring their
children leave home early enough to arrive at the designated
school bus stop at least ten (10) minutes before the scheduled bus
arrival time. Parents/Guardians are responsible for selecting
their children's walking routes to and from bus stops, schools and
home. Parents/Guardians are responsible for providing supervision
that is appropriate to the student's age, maturity, and conditions
that exist on the walk route. Parents should be aware of their liability for
damages caused by their children. As children walk to and from the
bus stop or school, and while they wait at the school bus stops,
they must show consideration and respect for the property of
others. Parents/Guardians are responsible for transporting
their children if, in their opinion, they deem the riding time
excessive. Make sure you instill basic safety awareness
principles in your children. Know your children's bus number and stop location
and notify the Transportation Division of any changes in your
address or phone number. Review the bus rules and
Parent / Student
Handbook with your children. Our Handbook is
designed for the "print on both sides" option on most personal
computers. Additional hard copies are available by
contacting the Transportation Division at
(301) 863-8400 x 1124. Parents/Guardians are responsible for listening to
inclement weather and media announcements regarding the closing or
delayed opening of schools. School Bus Safety for Motorists When
driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch for children
traveling to school. They are unpredictable in their actions, and it
is your responsibility to anticipate and prepare to react to what
they may do.
The following
procedures provide for the identification of students, notification of
parents and appropriate school personnel in the event of a non-public
school contractor bus accident involving students.
The bus operator
shall contact the Office of the Sheriff and request ambulance service,
if necessary; and will notify the Transportation Manager as quickly as
possible. The telephone number for the Emergency Operations Center is
911. If a student is injured, the Transportation Manager will notify
the principal of the school; and if the principal cannot be reached,
notify the parent of the nature of the accident, if possible.
All students involved
in an accident shall be taken to the nearest hospital for medical
evaluation if deemed necessary by the volunteer fire and rescue
ambulance crew, Maryland State Police and/or Office of the Sheriff in
consultation with the Transportation Manager. A school administrator
or Transportation Manager shall remain at the hospital until a parent
or designated legal guardian arrives for the student. The
Transportation Manager will arrange for substitute buses to transport
all students who were not injured to their homes or school. The
Transportation Manager will coordinate drug testing of the bus
operator as required and ensure that an accident report is completed
within 24 hours of the incident. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In
1941, the County, through the St. Mary’s County Code, enacted Public
Law, Chapter 116-1 entitled "Bus Transportation". This law was
established and specifically states that children who attend schools in
St. Mary’s County, that do not receive state aid (non-public schools),
and who live on or along or near to a public road in St. Mary's County,
on which public school bus service is being provided, that they shall be
entitled to non-public school bus transportation. In short, school
transport vehicles shall operate only on public roadways, as listed for
maintenance on the latest official State, County, or Town highway
map(s). Exceptions for service onto private roads, will be made based on
special circumstances and will be only on roads that are properly
maintained. All exceptions must be approved by the Board of Education's
Superintendent of Schools or his / her designee.
