Services on the Public School District’s “Off” Days
Busing services must be provided on each day the private school is in session, regardless of the public school calendar. Over the years there have been legislative efforts to limit transportation obligations to only those days the public school district is in session. Thanks to WCRIS advocacy, these efforts have been unsuccessful and the prevailing rule remains in place.
Question #3 in this, Frequently Asked Questions document from the DPI confirms this obligation.
Who Establishes Bus Routes?
The public school districts are statutorily obligated under state statute 121.56 to establish bus routes: “The transportation of public and private school pupils shall be effectively coordinated to insure the safety and welfare of the pupils.” (See also highlighted footnote in state statute 121.56). The setting of bus routes includes, in part, pick-up and drop-off times, and pick-up and drop-off locations.
In the past, public schools have asked for concessions which would cause a significant loss of classroom time at the beginning and the end of the school day. The term “welfare of the pupils” in the above statute offers our students some protection from this situation. In general, the Department of Public Instruction tries to limit such times to a 20-minute range on each end of the school day.
For more information on transportation safety see page 6 of the 2020-21 WCRIS Legal Handbook. WCRIS members can access the electronic version online here, with their login information.
