Transportation Home
Riding the Bus
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You can find out which school your child will attend by accessing the Clover Park School District website and selecting School Site Locator in the General School Information tab or by calling the Student Services office at (253) 583-5000. After determining the school, either Student Services or the Transportation Department can tell you if your child qualifies for bus service and if so, which route your child will use.
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You can find out which school your child will attend by accessing the Clover Park School District website and selecting School Site Locator in the General School Information tab or by calling the Student Services office at (253) 583-5000. After determining the school, either Student Services or the Transportation Department can tell you if your child qualifies for bus service and if so, which route your child will use.
Students are eligible to ride the bus if they:
- reside more than one road mile from school
- need transportation based on special programs (i.e., gifted, ESL, special needs, McKinney-Vento or special circumstances)
Students who have special circumstances may qualify to ride the bus, even if they don't meet the above criteria, if:
- hazards that create unsafe walking conditions for a student that cannot be mitigated; i.e., no sidewalks
- a medical or physical condition prohibits a student from walking
- before or after school a student goes to a child care or place other than the residence and this alternate address is used for enrollment and receives bus service
If a student attends a school outside of the resident boundary of their school, the parents are responsible for transportation.
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Students will not be allowed to get off the bus unless the parent/guardian has requested in writing through the Transportation Department. Special Needs student will not be allowed to get off the bus without an adult being present.
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During the first week of school, half-day students should wear tags with their name and bus stop. Bus routes are developed based on student data submitted by the schools during the prior school year. All students must be met by someone that is on the approved list to receive the student from school, this list also needs to be on the medical form you can get from the driver.
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Not all special needs students require or receive special transportation. To receive this service, a 504 plan, an Individual Education Plan (IEP), or students who fall under the McKinney-Vento Act/Foster Care must document a need for special transportation. The Director of Special Education IEP students must authorize special transportation, 504 students must go through the school to be approved. The Student Services Director must authorize transportation for students who fall under the McKinney-Vento Act/Foster Care.
Parent/guardian responsibilities and district procedures for students receiving special service transportation:
Meeting the transportation requirements of students with special needs requires a strong partnership between the student, parents, driver, transportation department and school. Below is a list of responsibilities established to ensure your student's transportation needs are met in a safe and timely manner.
- Student Assistance: Corner stops will be used as student pick up and drop off locations. The parent/guardian is responsible for assisting his/her child to and from the bus. If conditions exist, where a student(s) must receive house service; wheelchair bound, or is non-ambulatory, the Transportation Department will establish a pick-up point as close to the residence as possible. This assures the safety of the student and the equipment.
- Student Pick Up: Students being picked up at bus stop should be ready 5 minutes before their approximate pick-up time. The driver will not wait for the student to board the bus before continuing on the bus route. Drivers will not honk the horn, as it disturbs the neighbors. Drivers will discontinue service when a student receiving bus service fails to board the bus five consecutive days and notification to parents has been made. (See Absences/Discontinued Service)
- Delivery of Students Home: A responsible person must be at the bus stop to receive any student receiving special service transportation unless other arrangements have been approved through the Transportation Department.
Kindergarten students receiving special service transportation will not get off the bus unless met by parent or designated guardian or have a requested in writing for the student to be released by themselves. - Address/Alternate Address Changes: Parents/guardians will need to notify their students' school or special education office immediately of any change of home address or place of pick-up/drop-off. The Transportation Office requires five full working days to implement a change. The new service will beginthe sixth working day after the office received the change notification. All address/alternate address changes must be cleared by the Clover Park School District Transportation Office, NOT BY THE DRIVERS.
- Route and Time Changes: Parents should be prepared for route and pick-up time changes at any time during the school year. Changes sometimes occur when students are added or withdrawn from the school program.
- Illness: Students who are ill should not be sent to school, as they could infect other students. Parents should notify the Transportation Office of their child's illness as soon as possible.
Parents are notified when their student becomes ill during the school day. After notification, parents are responsible for picking up the child. (Note: Anyone other than a parent/guardian must have written permission to pick the child up from school).
- Absences/Discontinued Service: Parents must notify the Transportation Office and the child's school if a student will be absent, or if they intend to move.
- Student Identification: Parents/guardians should have the name of their student's school and bus number when calling the Clover Park School District Transportation Office
- Seatbelts: Seatbelts, when available, are to be used by all students. Drivers are responsible for checking compliance with this equipment.
- Safety Devices: The Transportation Office may require use of a safety apparatus to control a student's activity or aggression. Parents/guardians of students needing these devices will be contacted by the Transportation Office or the Special Education Department prior to use of the device (unless an emergency safety concern exists).
- Child Safety Seats: Convertible car seats or safety vests meeting all federal standards may be used by drivers for smaller students who cannot be properly secured by bus seat belts. Safety seats must be approved by a transportation office safety representative prior to use.
- Pins: For safety reasons, attaching messages to student's clothing with straight pins is prohibited.
Transportation FAQs
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The answer to this question is two-fold:
- Transportation's goal of transporting students to and from school safely is our primary function. Requiring written permission from the parent/guardian ensures the district that you, as the adult, are aware of the student's whereabouts. Also requiring students to board and disembark at a designed bus stop reduces the opportunity for missing or lost students.
- School districts are required to develop policies and procedures that follow all laws and administrative codes set forth by the State of Washington. Clover Park School District has established this policy to assist in assuring the location of your student(s).
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All bus stop concerns should be directed to the Transportation Department at 253.583.5494. Office hours are 6:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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The Student Services Department at 253.583.5180 can assist in determining if your student meets the necessary criteria for special service transportation.
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You must stop for a bus that has their red lights flashing when...
- you are on a two-lane roadway (one lane in each direction) or
- you are on a multiple lane roadway (three or more lanes) and you are traveling in the same direction as the bus.
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Students should not arrive at the bus stop more than 5 minutes prior to the designated pickup time.
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Students may be suspended from bus service depending on their level of progressive discipline or if their actions violate their safety or the safety, the safety of the other students on board, or the community.
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A7: Students are eligible to ride the bus if they reside more than one radius mile from their school of attendance or if hazards create unsafe walking conditions for a student that cannot be mitigated.
- The mile is determined as the most direct route from the bus stop to the school of attendance.
- Hazardous walking conditions are defined as walkways which meet criteria specified in rules adopted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
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CPSD enforces the following procedures for school buses in a school zone:
- SCHOOL ZONE LIGHTS ARE FLASHING - all traffic shall obey the speed limit of 20 MPH, no four-way emergency flashers are required.
- SCHOOL ZONE LIGHTS ARE NOT FLASHING - Clover Park School District buses shall proceed at 20 MPH. If the school bus is going 20 MPH and it is more than 10 MPH under the speed limit, the driver will activate the four-way emergency flashers at the school zone sign. When using the turn signals, the school bus driver will deactivate the four-way emergency flashers, use the turn signals, complete the action, then reactivate the four-way emergency flashers.
- SCHOOL ZONES MARKED WITHOUT LIGHTS - Clover Park School District buses shall proceed at 20 MPH. If the school bus is going 20 MPH and it is more than 10 MPH under the speed limit, the driver will activate the four-way emergency flashers at the school zone sign.
Transportation Forms
- Safe to Ride English | Spanish
- Parent request for student to left at stop without being greeted by a designated adult English | Spanish
- Highly Capable Self-Contained Transportation request
- Special Request/Space Available Transportation Application
- Day Care Permission Sheet
- Teen Zone Transportation (JBLM)
Contact Us
Phone: 253-583-5494