Page 110 - School Bus Operators and Attendants Handbook

FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE CODE

(b) To purchase transportation equipment in accordance with all provisions of law and State Board of Education
rules.
(c) To assure that contracts entered into by school boards for operation of school buses are in accordance with
law and rules of the State Board of Education.
(d) To adopt policies governing the use of publicly owned and contracted school buses for transportation of
students to school and school activities, and to ascertain and ensure that buses and bus bodies are used only after
policies have been adopted and upon written instructions signed by the superintendent or designee. Such district
policies shall include the provision that any equipment carried in a school bus which could shift on impact or sudden
stop shall be securely fastened and shall not block any aisle or exit at any time.
(6) Routes and schedules.
(a) To designate school bus routes, following consideration of data and recommendations presented by the
superintendent, to provide for students eligible for transportation when transportation by school bus is economical
and practicable.
(b) To propose minimum distances from school centers within which no bus stops will be scheduled except for
students with special transportation needs; to propose minimum distances from transportation routes as residence
zones within which students must arrange to meet the bus at regularly scheduled stops; and to plan and arrange
routes, schedules, and student capacities in accordance with policies adopted by the school board.
(c) To plan routes, so far as practicable, so that no elementary student shall be on a bus more than fifty (50)
minutes or secondary school student more than one (1) hour during the morning or evening, and so that no more
than an hour and one-half will elapse between the time the student boards the bus and the time school begins, or the
time school closes and the student leaves the bus in the afternoon, and to arrange proposed routes which, insofar as
possible, are free from major hazards.
(d) To assure that county and city officials are advised of hazards on bus routes and hazards involving students
walking to and from school.
(7) School bus operating principles. To assure that all buses are operated in accordance with municipal, county
and state traffic requirements and that every precaution is taken to assure the safety of students.
(8) Inspection and maintenance of school buses.
(a) To provide, after considering recommendations of the superintendent, adequate storage, maintenance and
inspection procedures for all buses owned by the school board, and to assure that all contract buses in use in the
district are properly inspected and maintained in accordance with law and rules of the State Board of Education.
(b) The inspection shall be conducted in accordance with procedures and include all items listed in the State of
Florida School Bus Safety Inspection Manual, 2020 Edition (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-
12218) and documented on the Florida School Bus Safety Inspection Form (2020-IF)
(http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-12215), effective October 2020. The manual and form 2020-
IF are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. These documents may be obtained from the
Department’s website at: http://fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7585/urlt/0085485-
floridaschoolbussafetyinspectionmanual-1.pdf and may also be obtained from the School Transportation
Management Section, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, at a cost not to
exceed actual production and distribution cost.
(c) Inspection of buses shall be scheduled and performed at a maximum interval of thirty (30) school days. Any
bus that is removed from service or deadlined so as to disrupt the safety inspection schedule shall be inspected prior
to being returned to service. All deficiencies discovered during the safety inspection shall be noted on the inspection
form (2020-IF). Follow-up repairs of all safety related items shall be made before the bus is returned to service and
shall be documented.
(d) School bus inspections shall be conducted by technicians certified as school bus safety inspectors in
accordance with the State of Florida School Bus Safety Inspection Manual, 2020 Edition. The State of Florida School
Bus Safety Inspector Application (Form 2020-SI) (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-12216),
effective October 2020, and the District Online Test Administrator Application (Form 2020-TA)
(http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-12217), effective October 2020, are hereby incorporated by
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