Transportation FAQ

Students in grades K-12 must reside more than one mile from their school of attendance and all students must live within the attendance boundary of the school they attend.

School districts are not required by law to transport regular education students. Transportation is a privilege not a right. The school district is obligated to provide transportation of a special education student if the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) has determined that the transportation is a specialized service which is included within and necessary to carry out the student’s IEP.

No. Transportation across district or school boundaries is not permitted. Route timing, distances, and bus capacities make it impossible to accommodate this type of request. The student's parents would be responsible for transportation arrangements.  MN Pollfinder (for voting) includes assigned school districts; enter your address to verify the school district in which you reside.

Students who live outside of the district boundary may be eligible for transportation at one of our Out of District Bus Stops. Complete an Alternate Site Form to request transportation form one of these stops. The student's parents would be responsible for transportation to the assigned bus stop.

The walking area is determined by measuring the shortest distance from the student's residence (end of driveway) to the property of the student’s school.

Yes. Student transportation accommodations will be granted at the direction of an IEP related services designation or as a provision of the Rehabilitation Act Section 504 (504 plan). Please contact your school of attendance for directions regarding these accommodations. The transportation department does not initiate these requests. Scheduling may take up to 10 days once approved.

No. District 911 does not allow siblings of students with special transportation needs to ride along in special transportation vehicles.

Log into Skyward Family Access and click on bussing to view your student’s bus schedule. Check often during the first few weeks of school. Schedules will be available the evening of Aug. 28.

The goal is to consistently identify bus stops in neighborhoods on the consideration of safety, efficiency, least cost, and shortest overall ride times. Bus stops are central to where all of the students are coming from. Some house stops are made on very busy roads. We generally do not send buses into cul-de-sacs or dead-end roads due to the ability of the bus to turn around. See more on Guidelines for Bus Stops.

No. Log into Skyward Family Access before Aug 4 to update your address. If you don't remember your log-in, simply click Forgot your Login/Password and follow the prompts. [Here's how to update Skyward] Typically scheduling takes 5 school days, but may be longer the first few weeks of school.

The transportation department is the only authority that can make changes to bus routes and stops. School bus drivers do not have the authority to make changes to routes or student pick up/drop off locations. If one believes that the current bus stop does not fit the bus stop criteria, please complete the Bus Stop Change Request Form.

Yes. The daycare must be located inside that school's attendance area. Students would need to always be picked up and/or dropped off in the same location. The pick-up and drop-off locations may be different from each other, but need to be the same location each day. Alternate Site Form

We recognize that children may reside in two households in situations of joint custody, divorce or separation. Transportation may be provided from each parent’s residences, as long as certain criteria are met.

1. Both parents must reside within the School District and school attendance area.
2. An approved custody agreement must clearly state that both parents share physical custody of the child.
3. Parents must complete a Dual Household Transportation Form and comply with all conditions listed below:

• Parents may only request school bus stops at their respective homes. If either parent wishes to have their child dropped off or picked up at an alternate care site, an Alternate Care Transportation Form must be completed and both parents must agree to this assignment.

• The specific dates for dual household transportation must be consistent with those in the approved custody order. The School District will not allow changes that are not reflected in the custody order.

• If a parent lives outside of the child's school attendance area transportation services are not provided.

• The dual household transportation must be a permanent request for the entire school year. Mid-year changes may not be approved if they cannot reasonably accommodated within existing bus routes.

• Students will be scheduled for both stops. It is their family/child's responsibility to know their schedule.

• If compelling circumstances exist and mid-year changes are needed, a new Dual Household Transportation Form should be submitted to the Transportation Office for consideration.

• The School District reserves the right to deny dual household transportation requests.

School bus stops are placed in central locations to shorten route length and times. Transportation services make every effort to see that these stops are safe and have appropriate walking routes. By law, school buses must also have at least one to three hundred feet between stops (based on road speed limit). The higher frequency of stops made by the bus increases the dangers for an accident and makes the student ride time longer.

Except to transport special education students, buses generally are not routed down cul-de-sacs because of the danger to small students and property while the bus is turning around or backing up in the small area.

The school district provides transportation for about 4,000 students to and from school each day. The district is not able to position bus stops so that all parents or daycare providers are able to see the stop from their home. It is the responsibility of the parents or daycare provider to ensure that each student arrives safely at the bus stop.

We are not able to route buses so that all students can board the bus on the door side.

With the large number of streets and bus stops in our school district, it is necessary for some students to walk on roads that have hills, curves and/or no sidewalks. For any concerns, please fill out a Bus Stop Change Request Form to have an area reviewed.

Bus stops are centrally located for students. Bus stops are not changed to accommodate student’s personal circumstances because that may displace other students further from their home. A central bus stop is necessary because other students may begin riding the bus or new families may move into the neighborhood.  Students may be required to walk up to .5 miles from their property to the bus stop. It is the responsibility of the parent or daycare provider to ensure that their student arrives safely at the bus stop.

• Arrange for your students to be at their bus stop 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time.

• Show your student where the bus stop is and how to walk home from the bus stop. Show them from all possible directions. Students often become confused when they approach a stop from a different direction.

• Help your students learn their bus numbers.

• Review the school bus safety rules with your students.

• Accompany younger students to the bus stop and meet the bus at the end of the day for the first days of school.

• Bus pick-up and drop-off times are based on favorable conditions. Traffic and inclement weather may cause minor adjustments in pick-up and drop-off times.

Review School Bus, Walking & Bike Safety Materials: 

• School Bus Safety (K-10)

• Walking and Bike Safety (K-8)

Students may bring items such as musical instruments that they can hold on their laps or between their legs during the bus ride. Objects like toys may be carried on the bus only if they are kept in a student's backpack and are not brought out during the ride to or from school. Some objects are never allowed on the route buses, Policy 709. These objects include:

• Instruments: Drums, French Horn, Guitars, Tubas

• Sporting Equipment: Balls (all types) not in a bag, Bat not in a bat bag, Fishing Poles, Golf Clubs, Skateboards, Skates not in a bag, Skis/Ski Poles, Sleds, Snowboards, Tennis Rackets

• School Projects: Fundraisers, Live or Dead Animals (mice, rats, snakes, cats, dogs etc.), Luggage, Shop Projects (tables, gun racks, shelves), Small Engines

• Weapons: Archery Equipment, Guns (loaded or unloaded), Knives, Metal Knuckles, Nunchucks, Tear Gas, Throwing Stars

• Flammable Objects: Aerosols, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, Gas Cans (full or empty), Gasoline/Diesel, Lighter Fluid, Lighters, Matches, Spray Paint

Drugs & Alcohol: Alcohol, Cigarettes, Drugs

Parents will be responsible for their students beyond school district property.

Seat belts on school buses are not required equipment. School buses utilize the "compartmentalization" concept to ensure student safety. If a school bus is equipped with seatbelts, they must be used.

Please call Transportation at 763-552-6287 from 7am to 4:30 pm. Or complete the Transportation Question Form.

Yes. By law it is required on an annual basis that students grades K-10 be instructed in the proper way to evacuate a school bus in an emergency situation. Drills are performed on each route in the early fall of each school year. Drivers are trained in the proper use of emergency exits and procedures.

The school bus safety rules are posted in district school buses. Rules should be reviewed with students. They are important for student safety and maintaining bus-riding privileges.

Students receive a bus report when their behavior does not meet the above rules. The driver usually issues a report to the school principal after several warnings. High school student reports are cumulative (9th-12th grade).

• First Report: Warning

• Second Report: 3 school days off the bus

• Third Report: 5 school days off the bus

• Fourth Report: 10 school days off the bus

• Fifth Report: Parent conference, and bus privileges revoked for the remainder of the year.

If you have further questions, please review Policy 709 or contact the principal at your school of attendance.

If your student is the only student at the bus stop and will not be riding the bus, please call Transportation. Many bus routes become late because the driver is waiting for a student who is not at the bus stop on time.

The driver can not come back because of commitments at other bus stops and other schools. Transport your child to school as quickly as possible.

Pick-up and drop-off times should not vary on a normal basis after the first few weeks of school. Circumstances beyond control could make the bus late occasionally. Vehicle breakdowns, impassable roads, emergencies or drivers becoming ill are just a few reasons that could make the bus late. We will always make sure a bus will be at your stop. If the wait is longer than fifteen minutes please contact transportation.

For permanent bus assignments, if your child doesn’t ride for 10 consecutive school days, and Transportation doesn’t receive a phone call, we will not stop again until we hear from you.

No. Parents may not ride the school bus. Drivers are instructed not to let unauthorized adults on the bus. This is for the protection of all students.

No. For their safety, the expectation is that students ride their assigned bus to their assigned stop. Drivers are not allowed to accept notes or bus passes from students or parents.

We strive to establish route times so that no student will ride the bus for more than one hour one way. Unfortunately we cannot always guarantee this will happen all the time.

During the first few weeks of school, we can experience some unexpected crowding. Our buses are designed to fit 3 children in each seat, and bus drivers will first make sure that all seats are being properly utilized. When the bus reaches its capacity, the bus drivers will notify Transportation.

Drivers inspect the interior of the bus after each route. Drivers are instructed to keep all found articles of unknown origin on board the bus at least one day. Articles may be claimed directly from the driver or you may contact the transportation office. Unclaimed articles are kept in our "lost and found" for a few weeks.