General Information

Riding a school bus in the state of Arizona is a priviledge, except for certain categories of special needs students. Arizona law establishes standards of operation for districts choosing to transport the general student population. It does not require school districts to provide student transportation.

School bus drivers are trained professionals, just as their classroom counterparts are. Before beginning training, applicants must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check, pass a drug and alcohol screening and DOT physical and obtain a permit for the Commercial Driver's License. The initial training involves over 21 hours of classroom with a minimum score of 80% on a written exam before beginning another 20 hours of behind the wheel instruction. The road test lasts about four hours and involves a complete inspection of the school bus and a skill course as well as driving on urban and rural roads and interstate highways. Drivers must pass annual drug and alcohol screenings, participate in classroom refresher training, biennial DOT physicals, and maintain First Aid and CPR certification. They are also required to conduct an evacuation drill at least every 6 months and include every passenger who rides a school bus.

Legislation restricts school bus drivers on the number of hours they can work on any one day and during any seven or eight day period. They must report, and include in their weekly total, the number of hours they work at a second job, whether it involves driving or not. They are further required to provide immediate telephone notification of any citation received and provide a copy within five calendar days, whether on the job or not.

The department is regulated on how close student stops can be to each other, to an intersection or a railroad crossing and where the door faces while loading and unloading students. We are also told when drivers can fuel as well as when and how they can back up. We are required to have and use 2-way communications in the busses, but drivers are prohibited from using cellular telephones (or headsets and earphones) while the bus is in motion.

State and federal regulations control the structure, color and equipment of school busses. The Arizona Department of Public Safety conducts inspections of each school bus before it is licensed, annually and after any accident.

The employees of FUSD Transportation Services spent this summer developing the attached Codes of Conduct. Only the portion of the driver's code that directly affects students is included for your information.

Students, and their parents, need to realize that all state regulations and District rules are intended to protect the safety of each student on the bus. A loud noise, someone moving inside the bus, or a loose object rolling on the floor, can distract the driver’s attention from the traffic surrounding them. Just a few seconds of distraction may have catastrophic results.

Failure to comply with the rules can result in the parent having to provide transportation to and from school for their student. Bus riding is a privilege that can be suspended or revoked. Please review the attached rules with your student(s), sign the Transportation Conduct Agreement and have your child return it to their bus driver within five school days. If your child does not ride daily, you may return the agreement to their school and they will forward it to us

CODES OF CONDUCT
Student/Passenger Behaviors

 

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Page last updated on November 8, 2002