Transportation Services will be provided for students to and from their neighborhood school, consistent with Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.160.160

Transportation Eligibility is based on the distance from a students home to their school of residence.  To be eligible, the students residence must be a walking distance of 1 mile or more from their school. 

"Walk Area" means that area around a school with an adequate roadway configuration to provide students access to school with a walking distance of less than one mile.  Mileage must be measures along the shortest roadway or maintained public walkway where hazardous conditions do not exist. 

Transportation services are provided to students requiring specialized transportation services as determined by their Individualized Education Program.   

Transportation services are also provided to students qualifying for Transportation services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Transportation services are provided to Preschool and ECEAP students requiring specialized transportation services as determined by their Individualized Education Program.   

All students eligible for Transportation Service are assigned to a specific bus stop nearest their home. 

School bus stops are placed in centralized locations along a specified route. 

Some students may be assigned to stops that exceed reasonable walking distances if local street infrastructure does not support school bus travel.  Bus stops will generally not be placed in cul-de-sacs, dead-end streets, or on private roads.

Students are expected to use their designated stop to board and disembark from the school bus. School bus drivers are strictly prohibited by the Office of Superintendent of Public Transportation from adding unscheduled stops to bus routes.  Please do not ask them to make stops that are not on their route.  

• Elementary students may only board and depart the bus at their assigned stop. 
• Elementary students must have a pass or completed change in SDM allowing them to ride a different bus, or get off at a different stop. 

• If your 6th to 12th grade student plans to ride the bus to and from school in the 2023-24 school year, please register each student using this online registration form to guarantee their place on the bus. 

• Secondary students do not require a bus pass to ride a different bus, or get off at a different stop.  However, due to bus capacity, the following loading priorities are enforced, and are on a space available basis only.  
  • 1st: Students going home
  • 2nd: Students going to sports, classes, tutoring, parents work, etc - if there is room after priority 1
  • 3rd: All others - if there is room after priority 1 and 2. 

Ride time refers to:

• In the morning, the time between when the first student boards the bus, and when the bus arrives at school.
• In the afternoon, the time the bus departs the school after loading, and when the last student is dropped off at their bus stop.

Regular education routes serving a school's attendance area for normal home-to-school operations will endeavor to operate with travel times of 60 minutes or less.  However, ride times may exceed 60 minutes due to factors beyond the District's control.