FAQ

What if my child’s bus is more than 15 minutes late to the bus stop in the morning?

Call our Transportation department (801)402-7500

What are the bus service eligibility requirements?

Eligibility for bus service to and from school – General Education Students

Busing may be provided to elementary student’s grades K-6 who live 1.5 miles or more from the school they are assigned to attend.

Busing may be provided to secondary student’s grades 7-12 who live 2 miles or more from the school they are assigned to attend.

In addition to the above requirements, to be eligible for a bus, a minimum of 10 eligible students is required before a route may be established.

The policy established by the USBE for measuring the distance from home to school is determined as follows: “From the center of the public route open to public use, opposite the regular entrance where the pupil is living, over the nearest public route open regularly for use by the public, to the center of the public route open to public use, opposite the nearest public entrance to the school grounds where the student is attending.”

A student with an approved variance to attend a school other than their home school is not eligible for transportation services.

Eligibility for bus service to and from school – Students with Special Needs

Busing may be provided to transport students with special needs who have transportation services identified on their IEP or 504.

In addition to the above requirements, in order to be eligible for busing, a minimum of 5 eligible students is required before a route may be established. 

How do I know if my student qualifies for busing services?

Check you student’s MYDSD account or use the link on Transportation’s web page for BUS STOP INFORMATION.

How do I know where the bus stop is and when the bus pick-up time is?

Check your student’s MYDSD account for the most current information.

How do I communicate concerns about a bus driver?

Parents can call the Transportation department @ 801-402-7500

Is it okay to board the school bus to speak to the bus driver?

State law prohibits unauthorized individuals from boarding a school bus. If you have a concern about busing, please contact your school Administrator or the Transportation Department.

How are bus stop locations chosen?

Stop locations are placed in a safe, central location preferably off main streets when possible.

Why doesn’t the Transportation Office call me when the bus is delayed in the A.M. or P.M?

School buses, like any form of mass transportation, are significantly affected by many uncontrolled factors. These factors may include a shortage of drivers due to sickness, weather, accidents, road repair/closure, traffic conditions, run coverage, etc.

When a bus is running late, the students are instructed to wait at the stop, do not go back home. If the bus is late and the student rides it to the school, he/she will not be counted tardy. If the student goes home and then is taken to the school the school may count the student tardy.

The Transportation Department strives to keep all our buses running as close to published time schedule as possible. We do ask that the students arrive five (5) minutes early to the stop location. This ensures that we account for seasonal traffic conditions and differences in individual watch settings.

My child missed the bus? Can I follow the bus in my car and allow my child to board the bus at another stop?

If your child misses the bus, for safety reasons, do not attempt to chase, pass, or block the bus along its route. Any action taken to impede or delay the progress of an official school bus is unlawful. If possible, take a different route to a stop ahead of the bus and let your child board there. When in your car directly behind a school bus, it is very dangerous for a child to attempt to run from the car along the side of the bus to board.

My son/daughter was just going out our front door this morning and the bus driver did not wait. Why?

Due to very tight time schedules and extreme traffic conditions; our drivers are trained in accordance with operational policy to leave at the scheduled time and not to wait for late students. For safety and timing reasons, students must be standing at the bus stop when the bus arrives. We do not have the latitude to wait for students to get out of the car, come out of the house, walk over from the next yard etc. Drivers must maintain safety at all times when loading students. If there are stragglers or late students loading, this increases exposure to impatient motorists, which increases the safety risk for the children.

Someone told me the bus was late because the run was being “covered”. What does this mean?

When there are more school bus drivers out due to illness than we have substitute drivers, we must split up entire bus runs to “cover” all the students in an area and get them to school. This may mean shifting entire loads or just a few stops. This process is a logistical challenge for our operations staff and drivers, but it is a necessary procedure designed to ensure a timely (although often late) arrival/delivery for students. Where possible, we will send out a substitute driver to cover the route but if it will take too long for them to travel from the bus garage to the route location (or there are no sub drivers available), then we will have drivers already in the area assist in covering the route.

If my child goes on a field trip do the same bus rules apply?

Yes, the school bus is considered an extension of the classroom; therefore, all the rules apply all of the time.

If the bus has a video camera can the parents see the tape?

No, parents may not view bus videotapes due to student confidentiality issues. Video recordings of buses are additional tools school administrators and transportation officials utilize if a problem arises.

I would like to talk to my child’s bus driver about a problem on the bus. How do I go about this? Couldn’t I just meet the driver at the bus stop location?

If you would like to talk to a driver about your child, please do not approach the driver at the bus stop. A bus driver is on a very strict timing schedule. Any extra seconds of delay at a bus stop could translate into as much as 30 minutes late arrival at school if each parent of 60 (typical busload) children talked for as little as 30 seconds.

Security and safety of our driver and student passengers are of greatest concern at bus stops. Parents are not allowed on a school bus. Parents who decide to board a bus ignoring the warning of the bus driver are subject to arrest and prosecution under the law.

You may call the Transportation Office and share your concerns with the driver’s supervisor who will follow up with you and/or the driver as needed.

What happens if a school bus is involved in an accident?

The driver will call the Transportation’s Dispatcher or DSD Security if after hours. Dispatch will then call the District’s Officer and the local police. If there are students on the bus the driver will make a list of those students. Dispatch will then notify the school that the students attend. The school will notify parents if necessary.

How long does a bus wait before leaving the school when taking kids home?

Drivers are required to wait a minimum of 7 minutes after the school bell rings. Special Education buses may leave when all students are loaded.

What should my child do if they miss their take home bus?

In the afternoon instruct them to go to the office to call their parents.

Why are there bus aides on some buses?

As provided by the State of Utah, bus aides are funded for Special Needs buses only. They are there to assist students who have very special needs, physical, medical, or etc. Bus aides are not funded for regular education buses.

What training is required to be a school bus driver?

A school bus driver goes through more rigorous training than a professional truck driver.  A school bus driver must be at least 21 years old and have a Commercial Driving License (C.D.L.) with a School Bus endorsement. They must successfully complete a physical examination in accordance with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Before new hires can drive a school bus, they must complete 20 hours of pre-service that includes first aid, district procedures and driving and skills appraisal. Within the first 90 days of employment, drivers complete another 26 hours of classroom instruction including a USBE approved defensive driving and canyon driving instruction course.

Re-certification with C.D.L. license renewal occurs at least every 5 years and consists of 30 hours of training and behind the wheel assessment. All drivers must complete eight (8) hours of in-service annually.

All applicant driving records are researched. No driver will be hired with a conviction.

Can my student bring his/her skateboard or scooter on the bus?

Skateboards and scooters are not allowed on the bus because of danger and liability issues. However, telling a student to “ditch” an expensive board in the bushes or anywhere else, is also not an ideal option. Our responsibility is to get students to school that are bused. 

When a student comes with a skateboard/scooter in the morning the driver will instruct the student that they will not be allowed to get on the bus with it that afternoon. The student will need to find an alternative way of getting it home. The driver will also inform the student that they will not be allowed to ride with a skateboard/scooter in the future.

All student items must be secured properly to prevent harm to other riders.