Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionWith the exception of charter school students, Pennsylvania law does not require a school district to provide transportation to its students.
The law requires school districts to provide transportation to resident students attending a charter school "on such dates and periods that the charter school is in regular session" if: The charter school is located within the school district, or The charter school is located not more than ten miles by the nearest public highway beyond the school district boundary, or The charter school is a regional charter school in which the school district participates.
The board of directors of a school district is responsible for all aspects of pupil transportation programs. The school board may ask their solicitor (an attorney) to interpret educational laws and regulations for them.
This is a local decision (based on geography, population distribution, etc.). There are no time limits set by law or regulations.
The law allows a school district to ask a child, regardless of age, to walk up to a mile and a half to a bus stop. The mile and a half is measured by public roads and does not include any private lane or walkway of the child's residence.
No. Section 1361 of the School Code states that when a school district provides transportation to its students, it is to be free and paid for out of school district funds. Additionally, Section 1365 prohibits districts from demanding, requesting or accepting compensation for transporting students.
The law provides for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to review potentially hazardous walking routes. The request for this review must be made by the school district to the local PennDOT engineering district office. PennDOT regulations do not address hazards other than road or traffic conditions. The local district may assess conditions such as bad neighborhoods, secluded wooded areas, snow removal, etc., when developing transportation routes.
Address your concern to the school district. All questions relating to school vehicle regulations, such as seating, aisle clearance, warning devices, etc., should be addressed to the Pupil Transportation Section of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at (717) 787-6453.
Yes. Transportation is a privilege, not a right.
When a school district provides transportation for its public pupils, it must provide transportation services to nonpublic pupils of the same grade level that it is providing for its own pupils. The nonpublic school must be nonprofit and located within ten miles of the district’s boundary, measured by the nearest public road. If the school building in which the pupil is enrolled is not located within the ten-mile distance, the nonpublic pupil is not eligible for transportation, nor are his parents eligible for payment towards transportation costs.
Yes, unless the closure is due to weather conditions.
Transportation must be provided as required by a child’s individualized education program (IEP). An intermediate unit may provide this transportation for the school district.
You must work with your school district to address such problems.
Yes. On a statewide average, the pupil transportation subsidy covers approximately half of a school district's transportation costs.