Transportation is available for children who live two miles or more from their assigned school. The distance a student lives from their assigned school is measured using the shortest route that may be traveled on publicly maintained roads between the entrance to the campus and the property line of the student's legal residence.  Students residing within two miles of their assigned school may have transportation available if their neighborhood qualifies as hazardous under the district's hazardous transportation rating system.

Some students who participate in vocational programs or classes not offered at their school are transported between schools. Special education students are eligible for transportation if need is established through the Admission, Review, and Dismissal process.

Pick Up Time Criteria

Regular transportation attempts to arrive at every bus stop on time.  Due to the variances between individual clocks and changing traffic patterns, students are asked to arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time.  Buses will load students and depart the stop.  Regular buses do not wait for late students under most circumstances. 

All buses will wait 10 minutes at the school in the afternoon for students to board.  Students are expected to proceed immediately to the buses.  Bus drivers are instructed not to stop or open the door for late students due to safety concerns having students too close to moving bus wheels.

Bus routes are created to enhance student safety while maximizing route efficiency. Stops are created that allow students to wait off the main roadway for the bus if at all possible. Stops are also created to minimize students walking in highly traveled roadways for long distances without sidewalks. It is the parents responsibility to supervise their children between their home and the bus stop and while at the bus stop.  Any Kindergarten/Pre-Kindergarten student(s) who cannot be released to a parent / responsible adult will be taken to the school office.  Stops are not placed in dead end streets whenever possible to minimize bus accidents while backing (Backing is a very dangerous maneuver for a school bus). Stops are spread as far apart as criteria will allow in order to decrease the number of stops each bus will make on its route thus minimizing riding time for the students.

Elementary students may be required to walk up to 1/4 of a mile to a bus stop. Secondary students may be required to walk up to 1/2 of a mile. Bus routes are designed to limit student ride time to no more than 55 minutes one-way if at all possible, however, most students ride under 30 minutes one-way.

The above design criteria is for regular students only.  Students in special programs are subject to different design criteria.  Contact the Transportation Special Needs Office at 657-8815 for additional information.

School buses are rated by manufacturers to have a capacity based on three riders per seat. North East ISD has adopted goals for ridership per bus at 65 riders at elementary levels, 55 riders at middle school levels, and 50 riders at high school levels.  While these are our goals, there may be times when ridership exceeds these numbers.  However, ridership will not be allowed to exceed the manufacturer's rated maximum carrying capacity.

All elementary students will have and wear a name tag all year. 

Before leaving school and while students are loading:  Student will be checked for his/her name tag to ride the bus home for the PM run.  Should a student not have a name tag, the bus driver will immediately notify a school administrator before departing the school for assistance in getting the needed student data.  IF STUDENT DATA CANNOT BE OBTAINED, THE STUDENT WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO BOARD THE BUS AND WILL BE TURNED OVER TO A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR.

KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS:

Should a kindergarten student not be met or released to a parent/guardian or a designated or responsible individual or not accompanied by an older sibling, or if something seems strange or out of normal order, the driver will ascertain disposition instructions from the dispatcher.  Student(s) not able to be delivered will be returned to his/her home school office after completion of the elementary run.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS:

Following provisions outline how pre-kindergarten students will be accommodated and transported between home and school:

1.  Eligible pre-kindergarten students receive transportation between home and school while ineligible students only receive shuttle service between their home and receiving schools before and after school (parents are responsible for ensuring that ineligible students are provided means of getting to/from their home school and residence).

2.  Should a student not be met or released to a parent/guardian or a designated or responsible individual, or if something seems strange or out of normal order, the driver will ascertain disposition instructions from the dispatcher.  Student(s) not able to be delivered will be:

    a.  Eligible Student:  Student(s) will be taken back to his/her home school after completion of the run.

    b.  Ineligible Student:  Student(s) will be turned over to a school administrator in the loading zone or taken into the office as appropriate at the shuttle school after completion of the run.