Cecil County Public Schools Regulations
Book:
Cecil County Public Schools Regulations
Section:
E - Support Services
Title:
STUDENT CONDUCT ON SCHOOL BUSES - Purpose, Responsibilities, and Procedures for Enforcement of Rules
Number:
EEACC-RA
Status:
Active
Legal:
A
NNOTATED
C
ODE OF
M
ARYLAND--
EDUCATION: 7-601, 8-412
COMAR: 13A.06.07
Adopted:
01/12/1982
Last Revised:
05/15/2006
Last Reviewed:
09/21/2009
Policy Detail
R
ELATED
E
NTRIES:
EEACC
O
FFICE:
A
SSOCIATE
S
UPERINTENDENT FOR
A
DMINISTRATIVE
S
ERVICES
STUDENT CONDUCT ON SCHOOL BUSES
PURPOSE, RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCEDURES FOR ENFORCEMENT OF RULES
The purpose for these rules and regulations is to provide a basic framework for safe transportation of students to and from school and for efficient operation of the Student Transportation Services Program. The parents/guardians, the school bus contractor, the bus driver, the school administration, and the Transportation Services Department of the Cecil County Public Schools share responsibility for enforcement of these rules. Riding a school bus is a privilege. Failure to comply with regulations may result in a revocation of this privilege.
THE STUDENT
The student’s first responsibility is not to interfere with the driver’s ability to safely operate the school bus by following the established School Bus Safety Rules and the regulations outlined in The Student’s Responsibilities and Rights. The student or his parent or guardian, must reimburse the owner of the school bus for the cost of repairing damage of the bus caused by the student. The students' riding privilege will be revoked if reimbursement is not made. Before the privilege is revoked, the parent or guardian shall be notified in writing that the privilege will be revoked for non-payment.
PARENT/GUARDIANS
For the safety of all students, the parents should support the school bus safety rules by impressing upon the student the importance of and responsibility for following the school bus safety rules.
THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER
The driver’s first responsibility is to safely operate the bus. The bus driver is expected to enforce regulations for student behavior while boarding, riding, and exiting the bus. If the driver is unable to enforce a rule, they should request assistance from the school administration. The school administration and the bus driver will work together to ensure that all students are made aware of the expectations for riding the school bus.
The driver may revoke the student's privilege of riding a bus for one school day for failure to obey any of the rules for student behavior. This authority, delegated to the bus driver, should be exercised with discretion. The driver should warn the student in advance of imposing this penalty. Depending on the severity of the student’s actions, a warning may not be given.
When a bus driver intends to revoke the student’s privilege of riding a bus, the driver must transport the student to the regular bus stop on the day of the student’s infraction and notify the student that the privilege of riding the school bus the following school day has been denied. Infractions during the a.m. trip to school must be reported to the school administration following the morning run. Infractions during the p.m. trip home that result in a student’s loss of riding privilege for the following day should be reported to the school administration as soon as possible
.
The school administration may establish a procedure to delay the driver’s one day suspension pending notification of the parent for minor offenses.
THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
The school administrator should provide appropriate assistance and guidance to the school bus driver and the student, when the student’s behavior is not acceptable. When a student is not permitted to ride a school bus, the administrator should notify the parent or guardian in writing of the student’s infraction of the applicable rule.
Riding privileges can be revoked anywhere from one (1) to twenty (20) school days at the discretion of the school administration for subsequent infractions, depending on the severity of the incident and the frequency of referrals. A variety of consequences, at the discretion of the school administrator, may be applied to improve the student’s behavior. The Superintendent or his designee must approve revocation of more than twenty (20) school days. Revocation of a student’s privilege to ride a school bus may automatically extend from the end of one school year to the beginning of the next school year. The Superintendent may provide additional guidelines.
THE SCHOOL BUS CONTRACTOR
The bus contractor is expected to cooperate fully by impressing upon drivers their responsibilities for supervision of students riding the bus, for maintaining effective cooperation and communications with the school administration, and for carrying out the instructions received from the Transportation Services Department.
THE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT
The Transportation Services Department shall review with bus drivers annually these rules and the bus driver’s responsibilities for enforcement in cooperation with the school administration. In addition, the Transportation Services Department will collect and monitor data for all school bus related disciplinary actions.