E3: Response When No Adult Is Available To Meet Student

Category E: Support Services

General education elementary students in first grade and above may be given transportation back to their school if the driver determines it is not safe to leave the student at a home or bus stop without adult supervision.

Kindergarten and special needs students who are transported by the District must be met by a responsible adult upon disembarking from the bus or van. The adult who picks up the student may be a parent/guardian or someone over eighteen who the driver understands is designated to be responsible for the safety of the student.  For situations involving a special needs student, the following process may be adapted as appropriate to meet the requirements of the Individual Education Plan (IEP). The process will be implemented for all special needs students regardless of age or grade.

Process

If no responsible adult is available at the time of drop-off, the following process will be followed:

• The driver will keep the student in the vehicle while continuing to deliver all other students on the run.
• The driver will return to the student’s home following other drop-offs to again attempt delivery of the student.
• Following the second attempt, if no responsible adult is present, the driver will radio the Transportation office for emergency contact information and directions.  
• If there are no emergency directions available, the driver will deliver the student to his/her school. The driver will only transfer care of the student to a designated staff person at the school, most likely a member of the school or district administration.
• The parent/guardian or emergency contact will be called periodically to facilitate timely pickup of the student.

After such an incident, the following will occur:

• A follow-up letter will be sent to the parent/guardian by the Central Office or Transportation Office requesting more explicit or up-to-date emergency contact information and procedures for future reference.
• The District reserves the right to invoice the parent/guardian if any additional personnel costs were incurred by providing supervision for the student.                                                                                                                                                                               

Kindergarten Identification

All kindergarten students  in the Districts are required to wear an I.D. badge provided by the school when boarding a school vehicle for transport to or from school.  Badges will help drivers identify kindergarten students being transported and to ensure that adults are present when dropping off students at home. The parent/guardian will be responsible for clipping the badge on the outer clothing of the child in the morning. The teacher will be responsible for clipping on the badge in the afternoon.

Authorizing Document(s)

Massachusetts Regulations 603 CMR 28

Policy CHA: Development Of Regulations

Updated:

July 2014