EEAA - Transportation Services

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Policy EEAA

Adopted: April 30, 2020
Amended: 

 

Students will be entitled to transportation to and from school at the expense of the public schools when such transportation conforms to applicable provisions of the Massachusetts General Laws.  

The Hopkinton School Committee has authorized transportation for students as follows:

• K-6: Hopkinton Public Schools will provide transportation to all students free of charge regardless of distance from home to school.

• 7-12: Hopkinton Public Schools will provide transportation to all students who purchase bus privileges regardless of distance from home to school.

Students must adhere to all safety procedures outlined in Policies EEAE and EEAEC.

Eligibility

Eligibility for transportation services does not entitle students to door-to-door service. If a student is not eligible for transportation as provided for by this policy, the parent/guardian is responsible for assuring that the student gets safely to and from school.

Fees

Although Massachusetts’ law requires districts to provide transportation to kindergarten through grade six students if the distance between the child’s residence and the school exceeds two miles, the Hopkinton School Committee is committed to busing all students kindergarten through grade six free of charge.  The School Committee will annually establish the level of service and grade 7-12 fees for the next school year.

Bus Stops

School bus stops will be at centralized locations. Bus stops will be located at places where students may be loaded and unloaded, cross roadways, and await arrival of buses with the utmost safety allowed by road conditions. Students are not entitled to street-by-street or door-to-door pickup and/or discharge. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure safe passage of his/her/their child over roadways to an established stop. The district’s responsibility begins when the child boards the bus at the pickup location and ends when the child disembarks at the drop off location after school. 

Parents/guardians may request one morning pick-up location (Monday-Friday) for the year. For students in grades K-5, parents may pick one afternoon drop-off location (Monday-Friday) for the year per student. The pick-up location may be different from the drop-off location. Parents may choose from one of the following four options for their Monday-Friday drop-off location:

1. Students may be dropped off at their morning pick-up location

2. Students may be dropped off at an approved bus stop nearest to another Hopkinton residence

3. Students may be dropped off at another school building if they wish to attend aftercare in a different building from the one the student attends

   • Students who remain in their own school for onsite aftercare may still choose one afternoon drop-off location

4. Students may be transported to an approved childcare facility

   • Parents are responsible for picking up their child after school if a student is not attending child care on any given day

A parent/guardian or an adult designated by the parent/guardian must be at the bus stop for the drop-off of all kindergarten students or the student will be transported back to the school.

In situations where parents live separately in Hopkinton and there is shared physical custody or the non-custodial parent is qualified under Mass. General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 34H*, students may be picked up from and discharged at both parent/guardian Hopkinton residences.

Students Requiring Accommodations under IDEA Act

Students who require accommodations under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) or §504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are provided transportation in accordance with current statute and regulation and the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) or §504 plan. Special Education transportation arrangements are made directly through the Special Education department, and §504 accommodations are made through the building principal. Students who are receiving transportation services from a private vendor according to the student's’ IEP or §504 plan should consult the vendor’s handbook for their busing rules.

Students Attending Regional Schools

Hopkinton students who attend Joseph P. Keefe Technical School are provided transportation under the funding arrangement between the Town of Hopkinton and the South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical School District.

Hopkinton students who attend approved regional schools for programs other than those offered by Joseph P. Keefe Technical School under Chapter 74 section 7C (Non-resident Students) are provided transportation coordination information by the Hopkinton Public Schools Transportation Coordinator.

Legal References:

Cross References:

Legal References

Policy Cross Reference

EEAEC - Student Conduct on Buses