Policy CJAC - Transportation: Route Planning

Policy CJAC - Transportation: Route Planning (PDF)

Issue Date: December 18, 2019

Updated: October 18, 2023

General Requirements

Buses operated by the District will run on routes proposed by the Board and approved by the State Board of Education. The District will provide the State Board of Education all information requested for the approval of any route.

The Board will not propose routes for which a student allowance or subsistence allowance accomplishes the needed transportation at less cost.

Routes proposed by the Board must:

  1. Traverse the most direct public route;
  2. Be reasonably cost effective related to other feasible alternatives;
  3. Provide adequate safety for students;
  4. Traverse roads that are constructed and maintained in a manner that does not cause property damage; and
  5. Include an economically appropriate number of students.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-600-6(2) (April 7, 2023)

 National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures p. 170-172 (May 2015)

Number of Students

The minimum number of general education students required to establish full eligibility for state-supported transportation route is ten; the minimum number of students with disabilities required to establish full eligibility for state-supported transportation route is five.  If a route is required for less than these numbers, the Board will propose such a route to the State Superintendent for approval.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-600-6(3) (April 7, 2023)

Bus Stops

The Board will designate safe areas for bus stops, subject to the following. Where possible, the minimum distance between bus stops will be 3/10 of a mile. Bus routes shall avoid, whenever possible, bus stops on dead-end roads. A Student’s parent or guardian is responsible for the student’s transportation to bus stops up to one and one-half miles from home depending on the age and ability of the student. A parent or guardian of a student that has a disability is responsible for the student’s transportation to bus stops except as provided otherwise in their Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Utah Admin. Rules R277-600-6(4), (5) (April 7, 2023)

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures p. 173-174 (May 2015)

Roads

A bus route may follow only public roads that are constructed and maintained at such standards that the condition of the road will not subject the passengers on the bus to undue hazard and will not subject the District or any of its employees to liability for injury or property damage.

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures p. 170-172 (May 2015)

Changes

Whenever a bus route is extended to pick up additional children, the Board will analyze extra costs and time and obtain prior approval from the State Board of Education. The District will consider whether student reimbursement will be more economical.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-600-6(6) (April 7, 2023)

Routes as Alternatives to Construction

When the District is not using facilities efficiently, the Board, with permission from the State Superintendent, will examine the use of bus routes as an alternative to building construction.

Building construction alternatives include elementary double sessions, year-round school, and attendance across district boundaries.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-600-6(9) (April 7, 2023)

Planning Process

In order to establish bus routes that will adequately meet the needs of pupils, the Board or District Pupil Transportation Director will procure a map of the area served by a particular school or school system. Information on the road conditions, railroad crossings and other factors that might affect the particular operation should be recorded on the map along with the location of homes and the number of school age children in each.

Satisfactory school bus stops should be identified along streets and highways where buses can travel with the least amount of risk. The number of pupils to be transported and the distance to be traveled are primary factors in allocating equipment for a particular area. The District should assign pupils to specific stops according to walking distances, grade level and school attended. The District will give special attention to handicapped students.

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures p. 170-172 (May 2015)

Surveys/Schedules

Bus routes, stops, and schedules will be developed by the District Pupil Transportation Director to meet the requirements in Utah Admin. Rules R277-600-6  and taking into consideration the processes and procedures outlined in the “Routing and Scheduling” section of the National School Transportation Specification and Procedures, including review of maps, surveys of existing and proposed routes and stops, and other methods of planning and evaluation.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-600-6 (April 7, 2023)

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures p. 170-174 (May 2015)