Convenience &
SAFETY

To make things convenient for families, we offer the option to have students dropped off or picked up from an alternate location other than their home address (such as a daycare, relative, alternate parent, etc.). If you are in need of this option, please complete and submit a new Alternate Transportation Form prior to the start of each school year. Alternate drop-offs and pick-ups will be limited to one additional location per student and must be scheduled on a consistent regular basis. Please submit completed forms ASAP either via email to transportation@khps.org or fax them to 616-453-4828 and allow a week turnaround time for processing.

School of Choice students are eligible for transportation under the following conditions: they must ride to and from the nearest established in-district bus stop and the bus must have room for additional student(s). Should the bus become overcrowded, school of choice students will be asked to change to another bus and bus stop location.

• Each student will be permitted ONE alternate pick-up and ONE alternate drop-off location other than home. This alternate location must be scheduled on a consistent basis. This will not apply to parents making permanent bussing changes during the year. A signed Alternate Transportation Form with alternate pick-up and/or drop-off locations must be on file in the Transportation office prior to any bussing changes made.
• Students will not be allowed to ride a different bus to or from school with friends or make any temporary transportation changes. Our routes are designed to take advantage of each bus seat, provide daily consistency and eliminate confusion. Exceptions to this procedure may be requested in writing to the Transportation Supervisor; however, only those requests involving emergency circumstances will be considered.
• Students must get on and off at their assigned bus stops.
• For the safety of the students, a visible parent, guardian, or daycare provider is requested to meet young students at their bus stop after school.
• Students should be at their bus stop 5 minutes prior to the bus's scheduled arrival time.

11 Bus Safety Tips

National School Bus Safety Week
October 21-25, 2024

1. Wear Bright Colors! Be visible to stay safe!
2. Don't be late! Running late can be stressful- be sure you are on time so you can focus on your safety.
3. Watch for Traffic! Be sure to stay out of the road! Wait for the bus in a safe space.
4. Get on Safely! Wait for the bus to stop before you get on and sit down before it goes again.
5. Keep the Aisle Clear - We don't want anyone to trip! Make sure your backpack and feet are out of the way.
6. Leave the windows alone! Don't ever stick your hands outside the bus. That isn't safe!
7. Don't distract the driver! We want to keep everyone safe- including your driver! Tell them if it's an emergency, but if not, help them keep their eyes on the road
8. Stay seated, stay safe! Be sure to remain sitting until the bus stops!
9. Walk outside far from the bus! DON'T walk close to the bus when getting on or off
10. Look both ways! Wait until your driver says it's okay, then look to cross the street
11. Tell your driver...if you drop something! Never reach for anything you drop under the bus.
12. Let's keep everyone safe together!

No. While stops are fairly consistent from year to year, changes may be made based on student enrollment.

Items left by students will be held on the bus and may be claimed by the student. If you need the item prior to your student riding the same bus again, please contact the Transportation Department to make pick up arrangements. Any unclaimed items will be placed in a lost and found box located at the Transportation Department. Twice a year all unclaimed items are given to charity.

It is our goal to fully utilize all the space on all the buses in our fleet. The term “overload” indicates a bus filled beyond its rated capacity. An overloaded bus will be corrected by the fourth Wednesday after Labor Day. Students are assigned three (3) to a seat. We appreciate that this may feel crowded to your student; however, it is not a situation which would necessitate correction.

We do not allow students to bring home friends (either from another bus run or from a non-busing area) for parties, scouts, church events, homework/study, sleepovers, etc. It is the parent’s responsibility for this type of transportation. Bus passes may be requested and approved by the Director of Transportation for K-5 students under extraordinary or emergency circumstances (depending on space on the bus). Requests must be made 24 hours in advance so as to give proper notice to the bus driver.

We do pass most homes in the District in order to transport over 3,000 students to and from school daily. Each bus stop takes at least 30 seconds; imagine how long it would take to pick up 60 students on one bus, and still get them to school on time if we stopped at each individual student's home. This is why we have group stops.

It is now a Michigan State law that all instruments must be held by the student. If it cannot fit on the student’s lap and be held by the student, we cannot transport it.

If your child is the only child assigned at a bus stop, or is transported by a special needs bus, the notification would be appreciated.

School districts are NOT required by law to transport regular education children. Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) 380.1321 outlines the obligations of the school district IF its board of education elects to provide transportation. Under Article 3 of the Revised School Code, the school district is obligated to provide for the transportation of a special education student if the Individualized Educational Planning Committee (IEPC) has determined that the transportation is a specialized service which is included within and necessary to carry out the student’s IEP.

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 requirement of MCL 380.1321, Section 55 of the Pupil Transportation Act, and local district policy with regard to the placement of the bus stop.

There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when school administrators establish the placement of school bus stops. The basic legal factors are spelled out in MCL 257.1855, but the primary concern is visibility of the bus to other traffic and the consideration of stopping distances necessary for other motor vehicles in order to accomplish safe loading and unloading of the children. In general, state law requires 400 feet of clear and continuous visibility on a highway or roadway where the speed limit is more than 35 miles per hour, and 200 feet where the speed limit is less than 35 miles per hour. There is no state law which specifies a maximum distance between stops.

It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to see that a child gets safely to and from the bus stop. The school district provides transportation as a non-mandated service and establishes placement of the bus stops in accordance with the requirements of the law.

There is no law 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.

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.