Frequently Asked Questions
- Do you provide transportation for school of choice (out of district) students?
We do provide transportation for school of choice students, but we will not create a new bus stop for your student. If you are school of choice and would like to use TK transportation your stop location will be at an existing school of choice group stop. We have several designated stops in our district for both primary and secondary students.
- Can my child ride the bus to a friends house?
We do not allow students to ride home with other students even with parent permission. With over 3000 students in district there is too much room for error if we do not know where you student will be getting picked up or dropped off everyday. Please refer to our "One Stop One Drop" policy.
- My child is starting kindergarten. Will the bus pick my child up in front of my house?
There are no special laws or regulations for transporting regular education students enrolled in kindergarten. If your district provides transportation, it will be provided in accordance with the requirements of MCL 380.1321, Section 55 of the Pupil Transportation Act, and local district policy with regard to the placement of the bus stop.- Is there a law about how far my child has to walk to the bus stop?
No law specifies the maximum distance a student may walk to the bus stop. If your child's bus stop is not in a reasonable walking distance then it is your responsibility to get your child to and from their assigned bus stop.- Is there a specified distance that must exist between school bus stops?
The lights on a school bus which are used to notify other traffic of an upcoming stop must, by law, be activated 200 feet from the stop. Thus, bus stops must be at least 200 feet apart.- What about the safety of my child getting to and from the bus stop? There are no sidewalks where we live and it's not very safe walking on the busy road we live on.
It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to see that a child gets safely to and from the bus stop. Bus stops may not always be at your driveway. There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration to not only make a bus stop legal but make sure the child is at the lowest risk possible for the situation. Keep in mind, just because a bus stop is legal does not mean it is a low risk stop.- Is there a law stating that an adult riding on a school bus for monitoring purposes be seated at a specific location on the bus?
There are no laws pertaining to this issue. In most cases when adults are assigned to monitor students that are being transported on a bus, they are near the student or students who possess the greatest amount of supervisory need.- My child spends over two hours a day just riding the bus to and from school. Is there a maximum riding time in the law?
There is no maximum riding time in the law for children in kindergarten through grade twelve. Child care licensing regulations establish a maximum riding time of 60 continuous minutes for the transportation of preschool children.- What other factors are involved in establishing where the school bus stops?
There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when the transportation department establishes the placement of school bus stops. The basic legal factors are spelled out in MCL 257.1855. The decision tree below is one of the tools we use to determine if a bus stop is legal or not. Keep in mind, just because a bus stop is legal does not mean it is the best location for the bus stop, traffic volume, age of students, number of students, accessibility and location in relation to other stops are other factors that need to be taken into consideration as well.
