FILE: ED
TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
The Franklin 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. 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 vehicles, owned by, rented, or leased to the School Board, to owner-operators, or to contract bus operators, shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law. Owner-operators or contract bus operators who purchase their own insurance shall be required to annually submit to the Superintendent or his/her designee proof of proper and valid insurance coverage prior to any usage of the bus, but not later than August 1 of each year. Should any coverage aspects or insurance policy provisions change during the year, the bus owner 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 owner-operators or contract bus operators shall include an endorsement that the policy may not be cancelled for any reason except after thirty (30) days prior notice to the School Board. Insurance purchased shall be at least the minimum required by law and include coverage provisions set by the School Board.
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 Bulletin 119, Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures. 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.
The management of student transportation for the Franklin Parish School Board shall be the responsibility of the Supervisor of Transportation, acting under the authority of the Superintendent of his/her 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 operator and the Superintendent or his/her 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 School Board that any used school bus purchased for use in the school system shall meet current Louisiana statutory requirements for motor vehicles, and shall meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and any additional state-required specifications for school buses that were in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured. 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. This shall apply to buses purchased by veteran owners/operators, by newly hired owners/operators, and by the School Board, individual schools, booster clubs, etc., and by individuals or companies with whom contracts have been entered into for the purposes of transporting 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 an individual or a company 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 regular school buses shall have a seating capacity of sixty (60) or more passengers. All newly purchased special education buses shall be equipped to accommodate wheelchairs.
Revised: December 5, 2023
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. ยงยง17:158, 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, Louisiana Department of Education
Board minutes, 1-25-85, 12-5-23
Franklin Parish School Board