Avon CSD

Transportation Form

Transportation Change Form

In establishing which students are within the walking distances, the Superintendent will consider: 

• Only residences residing in or child-care locations south of 5&20, unless the village hires crossing guards
• Other roads with traffic issues, e.g., Genesee St. 
• If there are no sidewalks, consider flow of traffic 
• Railroad tracks 
• Try to inform parents if the walking distances will go near homes of known predators 

The district will suggest to families of walkers to practice the walk to school prior to opening day, to locate neighbors along the way who are normally home during the day and who would be willing to serve as “rest or emergency stop houses”, to talk with neighbors and potentially share as “drivers” of “walking busses” so that students are walking together with at least one adult, procedures for safely crossing a street.

 In establishing locations of Centralized Pick-up Points (CPPs), the Superintendent will consider: 

• If there are no sidewalks, traffic flow 
• Road hills and curves 
• Not have students cross Rt. 15 where the speed limit is 55 mph 
• Not have students cross 5&20 
• Railroad tracks 
• Be cognizant of areas where snow might be piled inhibiting students safe boarding or regress from the bus 
• For PS students “line of sight” to the CPP will be from the road in front of the house, not from inside the house

Bus traffic on non-dedicated municipal roads will be determined on a case-by-case basis. For walking distances or CPPs, the Superintendent will consider similar conditions as for dedicated municipal roads, as is practical and feasible.

General Information for Parents: 
Pupils are entitled to transportation to schools outside the school district up to 15 miles from their homes. 
Transportation Request - Non-Public School - This form must be submitted to the district prior to April 1 of each school year for the NEXT school year's transportation.

Measurements for Determining Eligibility:

• Measurements for determining eligibility for transportation must be made over the nearest available (shortest) route between home and school. Measurements may be made over private roads, with the landowner's consent, and over publicly maintained pathways.
• School districts have broad discretion in selecting measurement points on school property for purposes of determining eligibility. District officials may measure from any point on school property as long as they do so fairly and consistently.
• The Commissioner of Education has held that a school district is not required to expend a great deal of time, effort and money in measuring distances, nor it is required to measure with the accuracy of a professional survey. It is well settled that the use of a calibrated automobile odometer is legally reasonable and sufficient, and calibration can be as simple as comparing odometer readings with the mileage markers along a highway.
• The Commissioner of Education has held that a board of education lacks authority to transport students who are not otherwise eligible for transportation, even though there may be empty seats on the bus.

Late Requests For Transportation To A Nonpublic School:

• Education Law § 3635-2. requires that parents submit a written request to their public school district, for transportation to a nonpublic school, by April 1, or when not residing in the district on April 1, within 30 days after establishing residency. The purpose of this deadline is to enable school districts to budget funds and make necessary arrangements to provide reasonable and economical transportation. No late request shall be denied where a reasonable explanation is provided for the delay or where there is no additional cost to provide the transportation.
• It is the responsibility of district officials, in the first instance, to determine whether the explanation is reasonable, and that determination would not be set aside by the Commissioner of Education unless it constitutes an abuse of discretion.
• The Commissioner of Education has determined previously that mailing a written request for transportation prior to April 1 will be considered timely, even if the papers are received by the school district after April 1st or not received at all. However, there must be credible proof that the request was properly addressed, stamped and indeed mailed before April 1.
• The following explanations for a late request have generally been held by the Commissioner of Education NOT to be reasonable explanations:
  • A belated decision to enroll a student in a nonpublic school.
  • The parent did not know there was an April 1 deadline.
  • The parent requested transportation before April 1 to a particular nonpublic school and then after April 1, changed the request to a different nonpublic school.
  • The parent learned of their child's difficulties in the public school after April 1.

Late Request for Transportation Procedures: 
A request for transportation form must be completed and accompanied with a letter explaining the late request. This information will be presented to the Board of Education for consideration.

Students Who Misbehave May Be Suspended From the Bus:

• The Commissioner of Education has held that a board of education must be free to regulate the conduct of students being transported by the district in order to assure student safety. The method of discipline is a matter left to the board's discretion and will not be overturned absent a showing that the board has acted illegally, has abused its discretion or has imposed a penalty disproportionate to the offense.
• Generally, a pupil is not entitled to a formal hearing as with a suspension from school. However, the student and parents should be given an opportunity to discuss the factual situation underlying the proposed disciplinary action.