Purpose: The District recognizes that transportation to and from school is required for the promotion of education. The District has a responsibility to transport eligible students to and from their homes.
Procedures: The District provides a number of transportation services with a combination of District and contracted resources. The District has a fleet of 54 passenger buses, 26 passenger buses, and wheelchair vans as well as bus drivers. The District is also a member of ESCMC and Sussex County Transportation Consortium
The Transportation Coordinator is responsible for evaluating transportation requests and determining which resources will best deliver the service. The District provides transportation services:
1. to and from Morris Hills (MH) and Morris Knolls (MK) High Schools.
2. to and from Morris County Vocational Technical School (MCVTS) for eligible resident students
3. to and from Morris Catholic High School, or aid in lieu
4. to MH for eligible Academy students zero block
5. to MCVTS midday for shared time eligible resident students
6. to private schools for the handicapped for eligible resident students
7. at 4PM twice per week for students that participate in clubs and activities after school
8. for all field trips, both during and outside of school hours
9. for athletic needs
Student Transportation Databases
The District’s student information system, ASPEN and the Transportation Department’s routing and planning software, Versa Trans, are integrated. Each evening, imported and exported data is sent back and forth. Each morning the Transportation Office staff receive a report of all demographic changes made the prior day that may necessitate a change in transportation services.
Trip Software
The District uses another Versa Trans product, Trip Tracker as a transportation field and athletic trip request system. Multiple administrative paths of approval exist including Board of Education approval within this system. All administrators have access to the systems calendar which reveals all scheduled trips including the location and assigned driver. The procedures for the development of a trip request is included in the Transportation Request System in the Business Office manual Library.
Training
The Transportation Coordinator ensures that all school bus drivers and school bus aides are properly trained for the functions for their position. He ensures that anyone driving a school vehicle used to transport students to and from school and school related activities meet all of the requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:39-17, 18, 19, and 20 and all New Jersey Department of Transportation rules governing school bus drivers. Anyone driving a school vehicle is required to hold a valid Commercial Driver’s License with appropriate endorsement(s) for the class and type of vehicle operated. Each year, the District will file the Annual Certification of School Bus Drivers Report with the County Office Department of Education.
Random drug and alcohol testing of bus drivers is conducted in accordance with applicable regulations.
Non-Public/Aid-in-Lieu
Transportation or aid in lieu of transportation is provided in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:39-1.
The District utilizes the services of the Educational Services Commission of Morris County (ESCMC) to administer this program.
The Applications for Non-Public Transportation forms are distributed and evaluated by the ESCMC.
ESCMC determines students’ eligibility for transportation or aid in lieu of transportation, and notifies parents and non-public school administrators of the determination for each application by August 1st.
ESCMC prepares the Non-public School Transportation Summary form and submits it to the non-public school administrators in January and May for certification of each.
ESCMC forwards the Non-public Transportation Summary form and the applications to the Transportation Coordinator in January and June for the issuance of aid in lieu of transportation reimbursement payments to parents.
The Transportation Department prepares requisitions for all eligible students in the District’s accounting software, alio.
The Transportation Department receives all requisitions in the alio system for payments in February and June.
Required Reporting
The annual District Report of Transported Resident Students (DRTRS) is completed by the Transportation Coordinator and submitted within the State set timeframe.