The Education Act (Act) provides that a school board shall, in accordance with the regulation, transport a student who:
- Resides within the attendance area of the school in which the student is enrolled;
- Resides within the division boundary; and
- Resides at a distance greater than 2.4 kms from that school.
The Act also allows the Board to levy a fee for some transportation services.
Families who require rural school bus transportation must phone the Transportation Department to make arrangements. Please do not assume that the Transportation Department knows that you require transportation. Register your student with the department yourself.
For rural busing, At the start of the school year, the driver will contact each family and inform them of their morning pick-up times. The bus routes will be reviewed for efficiencies throughout the summer and month of September. The pick-up times will be finalized by the drivers as soon as possible. However, adjustments can occur throughout the year if there are changes in the route or riders. The driver will notify the parents of any changes to the pick-up times.
Pick-up times are established by the drivers. Each year bus routes change slightly. The drivers determine a pick-up time based on their knowledge of the roads in your area and the required arrival time established at the schools.
For rural busing, if you are already registered with the Transportation Department and your child will continue at your designated school, your student will be automatically grade advanced each year.
Students are expected to be at the stop, ready to board the bus 3 to 5 minutes before their assigned pick-up time. If your students are late, you must have a contingency plan to get them to school. If everyone on the bus were late by even one minute the bus would arrive at school approximately 30 minutes late. Please be on time.
Generally speaking, drop-off times need to be flexible. The routes can be shortened due to student absences in the afternoon. This may result in your student arriving home early. Make arrangements or establish a contingency plan for this situation.