FILE: ED
TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
The Orleans Parish School Board shall provide to eligible students school transportation services which shall meet the objectives of safety, efficiency, adequacy, and economy. Through the use of a contracted transportation service provider, the School Board shall maintain a student transportation program that shall conform to or exceed minimum standards as set forth by pertinent statutes and the Louisiana Department of Education. It shall be unlawful for the School Board to permit the transport at one time a number of children on a school bus that exceeds the number of seats available on that bus.
All school buses shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law. School bus transportation service providers shall be required to annually submit to the Superintendent or his/her designee proof of proper and valid insurance coverage prior to the commencement of any transportation services, but not later than August 1 of each year. Should any coverage aspects or insurance policy provisions change during the year, the transportation service provider shall notify the Superintendent or his/her designee immediately, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours of receipt of notification. All insurance policies of any transportation service provider shall include an endorsement that the policy may not be cancelled for any reason except after thirty (30) days prior notice. Insurance purchased shall be at least the minimum required by law and/or contract and shall include coverage provisions set by the Superintendent.
All school buses used to transport students shall be driven by persons who possess a current and valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with proper endorsements and who have completed state required pre-service certification training and in-service driving requirements in accordance with provisions outlined in Bulletin 119, Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures.
SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
The use of any van, cargo or passenger, in any capacity, for the purpose of transporting students to and from any school-related activity shall be prohibited.
BUS STANDARDS
It is the policy of the Orleans Parish School Board that any used school bus purchased by any transportation service provider for use in the school system shall meet current Louisiana statutory requirements for motor vehicles, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, any state-required specifications for school buses that were in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured, and any requirements of the transportation service contract.
School buses used to transport students, including activity and backup buses, shall not be more than twenty-five (25) years old. All newly purchased or replacement school buses, at the time they are acquired by the owner and placed in service, shall be ten (10) or less model years old. The number of years shall be reckoned from the date of introduction of the model year. This shall apply to buses purchased by any transportation service provider contracted to transport children to and from school and school-related activities and for use as spare buses.
When a new or pre-owned bus is purchased or the ownership of a bus is transferred, or when a transportation service provider enters into a contractual agreement with the School Board, the owner shall assure that the bus is in compliance with all requirements contained in applicable federal and state laws and state and school district regulations. All buses so purchased shall be required to satisfactorily pass all mandated inspections prior to any usage.
All newly purchased special education buses shall be equipped to accommodate wheelchairs.
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:158, 17:158.1, 17:158.2, 17:158.3, 17:158.4, 17:158.5, 17:158.6, 17:158.7, 17:159, 17:159.1, 17:159.2, 17:160, 17:161, 17:162, 17:163, 17:164, 17:165, 17:166, 17:492, 32:293, 32:378
Olive Morgan v. Livingston Parish School Board, First Circuit Court of Appeals, March 1991
Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, Bulletin 119, §701, §2501, §2903, Louisiana Department of Education
Orleans Parish School Board