Jerome Joint School District No. 261

NONINSTRUCTIONAL OPERATIONS 8140

Student Conduct on Buses

Student transportation is another component in the District’s overall education program. An effective  student transportation management program must have the support of the District’s administration, the District's drivers, students, and parents/guardians.

The District shall institute a comprehensive student-management program that is designed to share the responsibility for student safety and well-being as well as protect the interests of all others involved in the program.

Students who make use of District-provided transportation shall have a duty and a responsibility to follow the rules laid out in this policy and any additional rules set by their driver. Drivers shall instruct students in appropriate behavior in accordance with this policy and any other applicable rules.

Students are expected to follow the same behavioral standards while riding School District vehicles as are expected on school property and at school activities, functions, and events and additional specific transportation safety rules. All school rules are in effect while a student is riding a District vehicle or at a school transportation stop.

The Superintendent or designee shall establish written rules of conduct for students riding in school vehicles. Such rules shall be reviewed annually by the Superintendent or designee and revised if necessary. If the rules are substantially revised, they shall be submitted to the Board for approval.

A copy of the rules of conduct for students using District transportation shall be provided to students at the beginning of the year. The classroom teacher and driver shall review the rules with the students at the beginning of each school year. A copy of the rules shall be posted in each bus and shall be available upon request at the District office and in each building principal’s office.

The driver shall be responsible for enforcing the rules, and shall work closely with the parent and the building principal to correct student behavior. The rules shall include consistent consequences for student misbehavior.

Due Process

The student and parent/guardian of the student shall receive notice of inappropriate conduct and have the opportunity to address the conduct with school personnel.  Recommendations for temporary or permanent termination of transportation privileges will be referred to the Superintendent or their designee for final determination. The termination may be appealed to the Board. No further appeal shall be allowed.

A recommendation to terminate transportation privileges shall be accompanied by a written record of the incident(s) that led to the recommendation. Said written record shall be provided to the parent/guardian of the student whose transportation privileges are being revoked.

Discipline of Students with Disabilities

If a student’s IEP team determines that special transportation is required and documents it on the IEP, all procedures under the IDEA 2004 must be followed with regard to the student and transportation. The implications of a suspension from District transportation depend on whether transportation is identified on the student's IEP:

1. If District transportation is on the IEP, a suspension from the vehicle would be treated as a suspension from school. An exception to this is if the District provides transportation in some other way, such as transportation in lieu of, because transportation is necessary.  

2. If District transportation is not on the IEP, a suspension from the vehicle would not be counted as suspension from school. In this situation, the student and the parent would have the same obligation to get to and from school as a student without a disability who had been suspended from the District transportation.

Cross Reference:

3330 Student Discipline

8120 Bus Routes, Stops, and Non-Transportation Zones

8130 Transportation of Students with Disabilities

Legal Reference:

I.C. § 33-1501 Transportation authorized

IC § 33-1506 Inspection of School Authorized Vehicles

IC § 33-1509 School Bus Drivers – Definition – Qualification – Duties

I.C. § 33-205 Denial of school attendance

IC § 33-512 District Trustees - Governance of Schools

IC 33-1006 Transportation Support Program

IC 33-1504 Authorized Vehicles

IC 33-1515 Requirements for Authorized Vehicles for the Transportation of Pupils to and from School

and School Related Events

Other References:

Idaho State Department of Education Standards for Idaho School Buses and Operations

Policy History:

Adopted on: 12/19/2006

Revised on: 12/18/2012

Revised on: 03/17/2026