Transportation

We are committed to providing safe and efficient transportation for your child.

General Information

Transportation is available for all students who live one (1) mile or more from the school they attend.  Students should be at their assigned bus stop FIVE MINUTES PRIOR to pickup time. The pickup time the student receives in the beginning of the school year is an estimated time. The time will be established during the first week of school.  It is important that the student is at their stop and not inside the house watching for the bus. The driver is not required to stop if the child is not out at their assigned stop. Students are to board and disembark at the same address. Due to safety concerns, buses will not return for students who are not at their stop when the bus arrives. Only in emergency situations will be students be issued a pass to ride another bus.  Students are to ride their assigned buses only. Parents must contact the transportation department before students will be allowed to ride a different bus. The high school and middle school will not issue passes to students. 

Routing:  We have a ½ mile maximum walk distance to the bus stop

Route Procedures 

1. Students who live within one mile of the school are not provided transportation.  The walk distance to a bus stop will be a  maximum of one half (.5) mile.  The fact that there are no sidewalks will not be a determining factor to justify house pickups. Only special needs students will have house stops, all other house stops will be determined on an individual basis.  Pick ups in cul de sac’s or no outlet streets will be determined on an individual basis. We will not go into a cul de sac or no outlet street that is .5 miles or less from the connecting street. The stop will be at the corner of the connecting street. 
2. One pick up and drop off point for all students. All students will have one location to be picked up and dropped off.  Students may not switch pick up and drop off locations unless there is an emergency and only then if it is cleared through the transportation office.  DAILY CHANGES WILL NOT BE APPROVED.

Safety Rules and Regulations

• Parents and students should familiarize themselves with school bus regulations. The school provides copies of these regulations in student handbooks. When students do not follow the rules, they jeopardize the safety of everyone on the bus.  Students who do not follow the rules and regulations or who refuse to follow the directions of the bus driver will lose riding privileges. 
• Cell phones are allowed to be used on the buses until the use of the phone is a distraction for the driver. For example, students are passing the phone back and forth, phone is used to for taking pictures which causes the driver to take their eyes off the road or viewing media which causes disruption on the bus. Students will be warned once and if they continue to use the phone, it will be handed to the driver and the parent will need to pick up the phone at the Transportation Department. 
• Large boxes or large instruments are not allowed on the bus. These items block the main aisle and will not allow the students to exit the bus in case of an accident. Please take/pick up your child to/from school on the days they will be bringing home a large item. 
• School bus drivers can only pickup and drop-off riders at an authorized regular daily stop.  Drivers cannot make changes to stops without authorization from the Transportation Department.  Transportation for non-school related functions is the parent's responsibility. Only those students eligible for transportation are entitled to ride a bus that has been assigned to them. 
• All kindergarten and 1st grade students must be met at the bus stop by an parent/guardian/older sibling to pick up your student(s).
• CPCSC cannot provide transportation for special events such as birthday parties, sleepovers, a homework project, to complete community services hours or for a job. The requests cannot be permitted for safety reasons.

The Bus Conduct and Safety Rules are designed to promote safety on the school bus at all times.  The safety of all students is our top priority.  Therefore, each student is expected to cooperate fully by obeying the rules.

The authority of the bus driver, who is in charge of the bus, will be recognized and supported by all.  Transportation privileges may be suspended for continuous misbehavior or lack of cooperation with the driver.  For everyone’s safety, the bus driver must be able to hear traffic sounds such as sirens, and be obeyed by students quickly and efficiently.

School bus transportation is a privilege and is not guaranteed for you by law.  Transportation is available, however, it can be taken away if students choose to disobey or violate any of the safety and conduct rules.  If transportation privileges are denied, the parents or guardians are responsible for getting their children to and from school.

TO PROMOTE A SAFE, ORDERLY, EFFICIENT AND ENJOYABLE BUS RIDE TO AND FROM SCHOOL, THESE RULES MUST BE FOLLOWED:

At the Bus Stop

• Be on time.  Board and leave bus only at your regularly assigned stop, unless you have received special permission in advance.
• Stay out of the street and away from the road.
• Help protect surrounding property while waiting for the bus.
• Wait to enter until the bus comes to a full stop, and the door has been opened by the driver.  Take your turn and do not push when entering or leaving the bus.
• Once off, clear the area immediately.  If crossing the street, wait for a signal from the driver before crossing in front of the bus.  Walk quickly across the street.

On the Bus

• Students shall be respectful of the bus driver.  Insubordination of students toward the drivers will not be tolerated.
• Go immediately to assigned seat and remain in the seat for the entire bus trip.
• Remain seated and facing forward while the bus is in motion.  Children who are not capable of remaining seated and facing forward may loose riding privileges.
• Keep aisle of bus clear of all items, feet, legs, book bags, instruments, etc.  For safety purposes, school projects and poster boards will not be allowed on the bus.
• Throwing items on the bus will not be tolerated.
• Talk in a quiet reasonable tone of voice.  Loud, boisterous, profane language or indecent conduct will not be tolerated. Some drivers may request "no talking" in the morning until they reach the school so the driver can concentrate on the dark roads.
• Students will not be allowed to tease, scuffle, trip, hold, hit or use their hands, feet or body in any objectionable manner.
• Windows are not to be lowered below the designated mark and only with the driver’s approval.  Keep head, hands and feet inside the bus at all times.
• Smoking, lighters, matches, drug possession, fighting, weapons and/or damage to school property are not tolerated and prohibited.  All hats should be worn with the front facing forward, turned hats will not be allowed.
• Food, drink, candy and gum are prohibited on the bus.  Deposit trash in the containers at the front of the bus upon leaving.
• Treat bus seats and equipment with care and respect.  If the seat is damaged by the student, the parent/guardian will pay for the repair of the seat.
• Cell phones are allowed one the bus until they present a safety problem for the driver.  Examples of safety problems are students passing the phones back and forth, loud boisterous behavior from the students while using the cell phone, taking pictures or videos.    If the phone present a problem, the driver will ask them to put it away.  If the student refuses, the driver will ask the student to hand it to them.  The parent will come to the Transportation Department to pick up the device.  Radios, iPods, walkmans, headphones and hand held electronic games are only allowed on the bus with driver permission. 
• Students will be released at their designated bus stop only, unless prior written and phone permission has been given by the Transportation Department to exit the bus at another location.
• Students must be completely quiet when bus stops at all railroad crossings.
• Skateboards, scooters, etc. are prohibited on buses.
• Small musical instruments are allowed on the school bus but need to be held by the student during the bus trip.  Instruments will not be permitted to be stored in the back of the bus or stored in the luggage compartment. Band instruments may not exceed the height of the student's shoulders.

All students who live outside of the walk zone of the school for which their residence is zoned are eligible for school bus transportation. The walk zone for all schools is 1 mile from school grounds.  Whether you want your child to actually walk those distances, is your decision. Those are the distances at which transportation services begin.

After 20 minutes of the regular pick up/drop off time, you should call the Transportation Department at (219) 663-1465.

Only certain students whose needs are addressed through the Exceptional Leaners Department are eligible for curbside bus stop service. For other students, service is provided in accordance with distance guidelines that assures a maximum travel to the stop of 1/2 mile. Every effort is made to improve route efficiency by clustering students to stops and where possible, providing service on major streets, within these guidelines.

Only certain designated students, whose needs are addressed through an IEP or 504 plan and pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade students are eligible for "must be met" service. These parents have an obligation to meet the bus every day or risk forfeiture of transportation service. For all other students, the parent/guardian is responsible for meeting the bus if they deem it appropriate.

The school should be contacted as soon as possible with address or telephone number change information. Once changes are recorded in the district's database, the data will appear in school bus routing software within 24 hours. A new bus stop will be assigned within 2 days of receiving the change. Remember, this information is used to verify your child's eligibility for transportation services and to contact you in the event of an emergency. It is very important that it remain current and valid.

Call the Transportation Department at (219) 663-1465.  "Must be met" students are usually returned to school if they are not met. If the student is not a "must be met" student, our transportation staff can assist in locating your child.

We can only transport students to child care facilities within their school boundaries. For example, if your child attends Timothy Ball Elementary, the child care facility must be inside the Timothy Ball boundaries.

Please submit a Request for Transportation to Another Location.  You can email or fax it back to the Transportation Office, information is provided on the form.  The process can take up to 2 days to complete.  Please allow sufficient time to ensure your child is placed on the correct bus.  

No. Students are not permitted to ride to or from an alternate location with a friend. In the event of a serious family emergency, contact the Transportation Office (219) 663-1465 as early as possible so alternate arrangements can be explored.

For the sake of accountability of the 7000 students we transport on more than 80 buses, transportation accommodations must be a minimum of five consecutive days. We would not want your child to be missing for any reason or under any circumstance and we would not want to aggravate the situation by losing track of which bus he/she was suppose to ride on what morning or afternoon or day. We recommend you work out an arrangement between parents to ensure the safety of your child.

In determining school bus routes and school bus stop locations, the following guidelines shall be used by the Crown Point Community School District to the extent possible. For more information, consult the parent/student transportation handbook.

• Safety first!   
• Student eligibility for transportation
• Pick up and drop off must be the same
• Distance to bus stop less than one half mile from student’s home address           
• Combined bus stops for two or more families living in proximity
• Use of public highways and not private roadways
• At least 300 feet of visibility at the bus stop
• Ease and safety of loading/unloading the bus
• No stopping on a 4-lane roadway that would require a student to cross the road
• Leaving the main roadway where visibility is limited or the bus must cross the center line
• Avoiding cul-de-sacs or dead-end roadways where buses can’t turn around safely
• Any other state regulations and safety practices

Please download, complete, and send the medical form in the student/parent transportation handbook.