FILE: ED
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
The Bossier 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 publicly and privately owned buses, 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, as well as regulations enumerated in the School Board’s Policies and Procedures for School Bus Operators and Bus Aides. 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 owned by the school district shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law.
All school buses used to transport students shall be driven by personnel who possess a current and valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with proper endorsements and have completed state required pre-service certification training and in-service driving requirements in accordance with provisions outlined in Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, Bulletin 119. All school bus operators, including owner-operators and contract bus operators, shall be required to personally operate the school bus assigned or owned, except in the case of illness or emergency. In such cases, a qualified substitute shall be assigned by the Superintendent or designee.
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. However, the use of Multifunction School Activity Buses (MFSAB) is allowed for transporting students to activities. Although classified as buses, they may not be used for transporting students between home and school bus stops.
INSPECTIONS
All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned bus operator and the Superintendent or designee on a regular basis. All school vehicles shall be inspected a minimum of twice a year, once during June, July, or August, and certified as safe prior to the beginning of the school session, and once during December, January, or February of each school year, by an approved Louisiana Motor Vehicle Inspection Station. Buses fifteen (15) years of age or older shall be inspected more frequently than other buses to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students. No bus shall be operated without a proper inspection tag certifying that a bus has met or exceeded minimum safety standards.
BUS PURCHASES
It is the policy of the Bossier Parish School Board that any used school bus purchased for use in the system shall meet current statutory requirements for motor vehicles and shall meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Louisiana specifications for school buses that were in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured. Acquisition of school buses shall be governed by the Fleet Preventive Maintenance Program. All bus purchases shall require prior approval of the School Board.
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.
Revised: September 21, 2023
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, 17:162, 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
Board minutes, 9-21-23
Bossier Parish School Board