Code of Conduct - Bus Rules

Bus Driver Compliment Form

Secondary Schools Late Buses

Letter to Non-Public School Parents

Registration Information

Section 3635 of New York State Education Law mandates that transportation be provided for pupils in grades K-8 who live more than two miles but not more than 15 miles from the school they legally attend. Pupils in grades 9-12 who live more than three miles but not more than 15 miles from the school they legally attend are entitled to transportation.

Transportation for lesser or greater distances may be provided by a vote of the district. The voters of the East Meadow School District have authorized a more liberal policy. The general policy regarding provision of transportation for school children in the East Meadow School District is as follows: K-5, over one-half mile; grades 6-8, over one mile; and grades 9-12, over one-and-one-half miles.

This policy is applicable to public schools and to non-public schools situated up to 17 miles from a pupil’s residence. Parents of children attending non-public schools are required by law every year to file a formal request for transportation for their children, prior to April 1 preceding the school year involved. A separate request form must be submitted to the Transportation Department for each child to be transported.

The Commissioner of Education has held that while public school districts are obligated to provide late bus service to non-public schools in an equitable fashion to the public schools, the Commissioner has also ruled that a district is not required to provide late bus service for individual students or for small groups of students, when equitably applied. Each district is responsible for administratively determining its own threshold as to the number of students. The East Meadow District utilizes ten (10) transported students per school as the number needed for determining late bus provision. This threshold number of ten transported students has been consistently applied.

With the exception of students with disabilities, distance is the sole determinant of lawful eligibility for transportation. The District utilized a survey company to produce maps that determined distance/eligibility. If a parent questions the ineligibility of a student for transportation, a request can be made of the route determining the ineligibility by contacting the Transportation Department. Distance will then be measured via the nearest available route from the crosswalk at the home of the pupil to the nearest access onto school grounds, utilizing a school district vehicle equipped with a special survey odometer. Measurements are conducted on public thoroughfares.

Where a request for transportation is based on a medical condition, consideration is based on the nature and severity of the medical concern. Parents seeking a medical bus pass should apply to the school nurse at the school which the student attends.

Though not required by law, the district advocates the use of seat belts on all regular school buses. We urge parents to encourage their children to buckle up while riding the school bus.

FOR INFORMATION ON BUSES AFTER SCHOOL HOURS, CALL Guardian Bus Co. at (516) SAFE BUS (723-3287).