INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS


STUDY: States Divided on Policies for Fee-Based Student Transportation


districts to charge the fees to recoup transportation costs. Te study also found that 10 states allow


school districts to sell advertising on the exterior of buses, and five states, including Florida, allow advertising on the interior. At this writing, a Florida Senate


Committee approved new legislation that would allow school districts to raise revenue for transportation and other programs via exterior school bus ads, a practice the Florida Association for Pupil Transportation opposes. Meanwhile, Hawaii is the only state to


Te state of Florida released findings


that fewer than half of the 50 states allow school districts to charge parents fees for school bus transportation despite mounting education cuts. Te Office of Program Policy Analysis


& Government Accountability (OPPAGA) published its


report to determine how


other states are responding to the ongoing economic crisis. Florida is one of 19 states yet to implement policies that allow school


require parents to pay a uniform school bus fee. California, Iowa and New Jersey have implemented a maximum amount that parents must pay. According to the study, most states were unable to report the number of school districts that charge fees as that data is unavailable. OPPAGA contacted eight districts


nationwide that charge fees and learned that five predict generating $2.2 million in transportation fees during the current school year, or enough to pay for transporting


approximately 4,000 students. Te study also found six of the eight districts charge bus fees for students who live outside of the walk zone, while exempting students with disabilities from paying. Nineteen states prohibit school districts


from charging fees — including Indiana, whose Attorney General ruled in 2010 that school bus fees violate the state Constitution. Tis provision is a key argument in a lawsuit filed by a parent with two sons who is unable to provide transportation for them due to health problems. Last fall she filed a lawsuit against the Franklin Township Community School Corporation for implementing bus ridership fees, and attorneys are seeking class-action status for the suit. Te first hearing on the Franklin


Township bus fee lawsuit occurred Jan. 4 and the next one is scheduled for Feb. 13. In December the school district fired its transportation director, Justin Wilczynski, who became an employee of CIESC when the group signed a contract with the school district to provide bus service.


Two Different Outcomes for Students Who Brought


Guns to School A 7-year-old boy from Mesa, Ariz., was detained Jan. 6 after bringing a


handgun hidden in his backpack aboard the school bus, where it discharged. Nobody was injured. About 50 students were on the school bus when the gun went off about 2:30 p.m., according to local news reports, during the afternoon route from an


elementary school. Mesa Police said the second-grader apparently found the .22-caliber pistol in a closet at home and brought it to school. Tey said he was manipulating the gun in the backpack and fired a single shot, so the bullet lodged in either the floor or bus seat. Te school district stated the boy could face suspension or expulsion. Earlier that same week a student from Cummings Middle School in Brownsville, Texas, was shot and killed by police after brandishing


a gun. Brownsville police arrived at the school Wednesday morning in response to reports of a student spotted with a gun in the hallway. Paramedics rushed Jaime Gonzalez to the hospital, where the 15-year-old was then pronounced dead. Te weapon used by Gonzalez “in a threatening manner” was later found to be a pellet gun. After the incident, the middle school was closed and students were evacuated by school bus. Brownsville ISD issued a statement that none of the other 50 students or the school’s employees were injured during the incident.


14 School Transportation News Magazine February 2012


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60