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Fairfield City School District

Excellence. Preparation for Life. Opportunities for All.

Transportation

Transportation

The goal of the Fairfield City School District Transportation Department is to provide safe and effective pupil transportation services. It is our commitment to students and parents that they will experience a high level of customer service from the staff members of the transportation department.

Stopfinder is the new app we will use for the coming school year to get your child's bus information and receive transportation notifications. Stopfinder invitations will be sent out July 14 - July 18 to parents. Additional information about this new app will be posted online soon. 

The bus stop will usually be found at a cross street or corner. To operate safely, the buses will not usually enter cul-de-sacs or dead-end streets, except to transport students with special needs as required by state law. We want to maintain as safe an operation as possible by minimizing backing up and turning around. It is important for parents to recognize that the Ohio Pupil Transportation guidelines provide that students may walk up to one-half mile to a designated bus stop (3301-83-13). The Fairfield City School District is committed to providing bus service equal to or better than this state standard.

The Fairfield City School District respects the partnership with the parents of the district that is required to allow all students to have a safe, pleasant transportation experience. The district is responsible for students once they board the bus, while parents maintain the responsibility for the safety and supervision of their children to and from the bus stop and while waiting for the bus in the designated place of safety as assigned by the bus driver. Students should respect other individuals, their possessions and property, and follow appropriate safety procedures.

The Fairfield City School District Transportation Department is committed to ensuring that all students are transported in a safe and responsible manner. Please contact the Transportation Office if we can help improve our service to you.

A LETTER TO PARENTS

Dear Parents,

Please review the Guidelines for Determining Driver-Designated Place of Safety, as specified by Chapter 3301-83 of the administrative code, which regulates pupil transportation in Ohio.

Students should arrive at the bus stop five minutes early and wait in the designated safety zone (20 paces away from the bus) which is designated by the bus driver and shown in the photo below. Students disembarking the bus are not to proceed to their residence until the school bus has departed. In this case, the standard of teaching, developed within the preservice program that all drivers are required to participate in as "best practice," is the students are not to proceed to their residence until the tail lights of the school bus are visible to the student.

These rules pertain to both safety and administrative procedures for pupil transportation. Compliance with these rules is mandated under Ohio Revised Code 4511.76.

Department Members

Janette Flick

Director of Transportation

Karla Kingsley Weaver

Assistant Director of Transportation

Angie Kimble

Safety Coordinator of Transportation

Lance Perry

Director of Business Operations

What are some helpful safety tips for riding the school bus?

  • Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early. Wait in your “designated place of safety” (20 paces/steps away from the bus). This is a state-mandated location, determined by the bus driver, as a safe location for students to wait for the bus.

  • While waiting, respect other individuals, their possessions, and surrounding property.  Stand still and be cautious as the bus arrives. The district’s responsibility begins when students board the bus and ends, in the afternoon, when the bus departs from the stop.

  • It is recommended that elementary students be accompanied by parents/guardians to the bus stop.

  • If you must cross the street to be picked up or dropped off, obey the driver’s hand signal and cross 10 feet in front of the bus.

  • Enter the bus calmly, sit in your assigned seat, and remain seated at all times.

RULES FOR STUDENT CONDUCT ON SCHOOL BUSES

Student Bus Conduct

Students need to recognize that they must follow directions from the driver while on the bus just as they must follow teacher directions in the classroom.

 

STUDENT BUS CONDUCT DOCUMENT 

  1. Pupils shall arrive at the bus stop before the bus is scheduled to arrive. (We recommend 5-6 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time)
  2. Pupils must wait at a location clear of traffic, ten feet away from the bus stop, in the designated place of safety assigned by the regular route driver.
  3. Behavior at school bus stops must not threaten life, limb, or property of any individual.
  4. Pupils must go directly to an available or assigned seat. (Local procedure instructs the driver to assign seats to all students on each route).
  5. Pupils must remain seated, keeping aisles and exits clear.
  6. Windows may only be opened with driver permission.
  7. Pupils must observe classroom conduct and obey the driver promptly and respectfully.
  8. Pupils must not use profane language.
  1. Pupils must refrain from eating and drinking on the bus except as required for medical reasons. (Please notify the transportation office in advance).
  2. Pupils must not use tobacco on the bus
  3. Pupils must not have alcohol or drugs in their possession on the bus.
  4. Pupils must not throw or pass objects on, from, or into the bus.
  5. Pupils may carry on the bus only objects that can be held in their laps. See OAC 3301-83-20 paragraph (J) (This includes musical instruments & school projects).
  6. Pupils must leave or board the bus at locations to which they have been assigned unless they have a bus pass signed by the building administrator. Passes will only be issued for emergencies to be determined by the building administrator.
  7. Pupils must not put head or arms out of the bus windows.
  8. The emergency door is only to be used in case of emergency

FAIRFIELD CITY SCHOOLS TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

Babysitter/Daycare Information.
We are happy to be able to provide a service that many parents find useful, which is having the school bus pick up or drop off students at a location other than their home, usually a babysitter's home or a daycare center. In order to provide this transportation service, the babysitter's home or daycare center must be in the same attendance area as the school and session that the child attends.

Although the school district understands that unexpected situations sometimes arise, in order to ensure each student's safety, pick-up and drop-off arrangements need to be the same every day that the student rides the bus.

Example: A student is picked up at home before school, and dropped off at a babysitter's house after school on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Thursday the babysitter brings the child to school and picks the child up after school. This is acceptable; the arrangements are the same every day the student rides the bus.

Example: A student is picked up before school and dropped off after school at a daycare center on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Friday the parents would like the child to be picked up and dropped off at home. We would not be able to accommodate this request, as the arrangements are not the same for each day the student rides the bus. With transporting more than 7,500 students to multiple schools daily, we do not have the capacity to safely manage daily variations in pick-up and drop-off arrangements for individual students.

 

*Please note: The student bus service information is for Fairfield City School District students only. Parents of bus riders attending a non-public school should contact the transportation department at 513-829-6603.

- Thank you!

Please remember to complete a new Transportation information form in Final Forms with information for the coming school year. Forms have been available in Final Forms since June 1. The completion of this form will ensure that your child's transportation arrangements are in place based on the home residence of the student by the start of the next school year. Bus routing is a complicated and lengthy process and it is very helpful for us to have this information for your child before route planning begins.

Some daycare providers and babysitters also provide transportation. Parents should work directly with them if those services are to be used.

The Fairfield City School District also offers a latchkey program.

More About the Latchkey Program

We want your child's entire school day, including the morning and afternoon bus rides, to be as enjoyable as possible. To help with that, below are the most frequently asked questions and answers about our school bus service. Please take a moment to review these to help you with your planning.

Transportation FAQs
These are some of the most commonly asked general questions that are received in relation to the transportation of students.

  • There is no identified length of time that districts are obligated to meet. It is up to the school district to manage the length of time students ride their bus. Ride times vary by traffic, locality, and numerous other criteria; therefore, ride times may vary for each school.  The Fairfield City School District is committed to making them as short as possible.

  • Bus stop locations are determined by the Assistant Superintendent for Business and the Transportation Director. The stops are approved by the Board of Education. We encourage parents to accompany their child to the bus stop whenever possible.

  • While we understand this may be of concern in some situations, many students routinely walk safely in grassy areas along roadways to reach the bus stop. This is another important reason to accompany your child to the bus stop.

  • A child who has an IEP only receives special transportation when the IEP team designates such as a “related service.” If special transportation is not included in the IEP, your child will be transported similarly to regular education students. If you have questions regarding special transportation please contact the Special Services Department (513-829-4311).

  • Ohio law requires children to be waiting at the bus stop prior to its arrival. The Fairfield City School District recommends students arrive at the bus stop five (5) minutes prior to the arrival of the bus. Bus drivers must count the students at the bus stop before they load and as they get on the bus to ensure all children are safely on board. If students are not waiting at the bus stop, the bus driver cannot count them. Therefore, the driver cannot be certain all the students are safely on board. Waiting at the bus stop before the bus arrives further ensures that no one chases after a bus, which is very dangerous.

  • State law requires transportation only for students in grades K-8 who reside more than 2.0 miles from school. With state minimums, grades 9-12 transportation does not have to be provided; however, a shuttle from the high school to a member vocational school is required. In addition, all school districts must transport students with special needs as identified in those students’ Individual Education Plans. At this time, Fairfield City School District provides transportation to all students who live in Fairfield and Fairfield Township in grades K-10. We are well above the state minimum and will continue to look at ways to decrease costs by extending some bus stops and walking areas.

  • Please feel free to call our Transportation Department (513-829-6603). It is open year-round, including all summer.

Transportation Service Levels Information
Pupil transportation service must be provided in Ohio for students in grades K-8 who live more than two miles from their school. Many school districts also transport students in high school, as well as students who live closer than two miles from their school, but these services are optional at the discretion of the district and are not required by state law.

Transportation plans are designed and implemented by each district. This plan includes the designation of walk-in areas to school, identification of hazardous areas, the location of bus stops, and the actual routing and planning of routes.

Ohio Department of Education Transportation Info

More information related to how the district transports students to and from schools, including funding, training and rule-making.

Parent Brochure

This parent brochure was created by the Transportation Department as a resource to ensure the safety of your child.

Transportation Contacts

Contact/Office Hours:

If you have questions regarding bus route information or the transportation of your child, please contact the Fairfield City School District Transportation Department.

Transportation Department office hours are 5:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday-Friday when school is in session. Calls are answered in the order received. Please understand that we receive a particularly high volume of calls at the start of the school year and hold/wait times may be longer than normal.

Contact Numbers:

Transportation Office 513-829-6603