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Frequently Asked Questions
Hartland Consolidated School District Policies
Hartland Consolidated School District Policies
What services do you offer if I need daycare from a neighbor or relative?
We will accommodate pickups or drop-offs at locations other than your home as long as its five days a week at the same location and it’s within your child’s elementary attendance area. It can be mornings, evenings, or both. Example; pick up at home, drop at Grandmas, pick up at daycare and drop at home, pick up and drop at daycare/latchkey. To utilize this service, you must fill out an Alternate Destination Form for each child. These forms must be submitted each year by June 15 or you may have to wait while route changes are made to accommodate your request.
Can my student ride home with a friend on a different bus?
No, we do not allow bus passes for any reason. We will allow a student to get off at a different stop on the same bus route provided the parent contacts the transportation office before the buses leave the school. In this case the office will radio the driver and give this approval. We do not accept notes or communications from the students.
When will I get information about my student’s bus route or times?
Each summer all the routes are rebuilt to accommodate new students and increase efficiency. You will receive a postcard in the mail approximately one week before the start of school that will give you the pickup/drop-off times and stop locations, and bus number. We assume each student will be picked up and dropped-off at their home unless we have approved an alternate destination form for each child. Please refer to the "Forms" section, at the left. The appropriate form can be downloaded for your use.
Why can’t my student eat or drink on the bus?
We do not allow students to eat or drink on the bus for two very important reasons. First we have many students that have severe food allergies and could have a bad reaction while on the bus. Students may also choke on food or drinks and the driver cannot monitor this activity while driving. If food or drink is spilled on the bus it can lead to slippery floors and unsanitary conditions.
What if my student misses the bus?
The best thing to do is to take them to school in your personal vehicle. If you cannot transport them, you must contact the transportation office (810-626-2175) to see if it’s possible to go to another stop on the same route. Please do not just take the student to the next stop without contacting the office as this is very dangerous because the driver will not be watching for your student.
What are your rules for back packs, musical instruments or athletic equipment?
The student must put these items on the lap while on the bus. Please see the Student Code of Conduct for a list of specific items that will not be allowed.
What are the Hartland Transportation Guidelines for service and who sets them?
The Hartland Consolidated School Board determines the level of service to be provided; it has adopted the following guidelines:
We will accommodate pickups or drop-offs at locations other than your home as long as its five days a week at the same location and it’s within your child’s elementary attendance area. It can be mornings, evenings, or both. Example; pick up at home, drop at Grandmas, pick up at daycare and drop at home, pick up and drop at daycare/latchkey. To utilize this service, you must fill out an Alternate Destination Form for each child. These forms must be submitted each year by June 15 or you may have to wait while route changes are made to accommodate your request.
Can my student ride home with a friend on a different bus?
No, we do not allow bus passes for any reason. We will allow a student to get off at a different stop on the same bus route provided the parent contacts the transportation office before the buses leave the school. In this case the office will radio the driver and give this approval. We do not accept notes or communications from the students.
When will I get information about my student’s bus route or times?
Each summer all the routes are rebuilt to accommodate new students and increase efficiency. You will receive a postcard in the mail approximately one week before the start of school that will give you the pickup/drop-off times and stop locations, and bus number. We assume each student will be picked up and dropped-off at their home unless we have approved an alternate destination form for each child. Please refer to the "Forms" section, at the left. The appropriate form can be downloaded for your use.
Why can’t my student eat or drink on the bus?
We do not allow students to eat or drink on the bus for two very important reasons. First we have many students that have severe food allergies and could have a bad reaction while on the bus. Students may also choke on food or drinks and the driver cannot monitor this activity while driving. If food or drink is spilled on the bus it can lead to slippery floors and unsanitary conditions.
What if my student misses the bus?
The best thing to do is to take them to school in your personal vehicle. If you cannot transport them, you must contact the transportation office (810-626-2175) to see if it’s possible to go to another stop on the same route. Please do not just take the student to the next stop without contacting the office as this is very dangerous because the driver will not be watching for your student.
What are your rules for back packs, musical instruments or athletic equipment?
The student must put these items on the lap while on the bus. Please see the Student Code of Conduct for a list of specific items that will not be allowed.
What are the Hartland Transportation Guidelines for service and who sets them?
The Hartland Consolidated School Board determines the level of service to be provided; it has adopted the following guidelines:
- Students may be required to walk up to ½ mile to school or the bus stop.
- Student ride time may be up to 90 minutes on the bus.
- High School & Ore Creek Middle School students may be required to ride a transfer bus to Ore Creek to arrive at their final destination.
Michigan Department of Education Transportation Laws
Michigan Department of Education Transportation Laws
Isn't the school district required to transport my child?
School districts are NOT required by law to transport regular education children. Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) 380.1321 outlines the obligations of the school district IF its board of education elects to provide transportation. Under Article 3 of the Revised School Code, the school district is obligated to provide for the transportation of a special education student if the Individualized Educational Planning Committee (IEPC) has determined that the transportation is a specialized service which is included within and necessary to carry out the student's IEP.
My child is starting kindergarten. Will the bus pick my child up in front of my house?
There are no special laws or regulations for transporting regular education students enrolled in kindergarten. If your district provides transportation, it will be provided in accordance with the requirements of MCL 380.1321, Section 55 of the Pupil Transportation Act, and local district policy with regard to the placement of the bus stop.
Is there a law about how far my child has to walk to the bus stop?
No law specifies the maximum distance a student may walk to the bus stop.
Is there a specified distance that must exist between school bus stops?
The lights on a school bus which are used to notify other traffic of an upcoming stop must, by law, be activated 200 feet from the stop. Thus, bus stops must be at least 200 feet apart.
What other factors are involved in establishing where the school bus stops?
There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when school administrators establish the placement of school bus stops. The basic legal factors are spelled out in MCL 257.1855, but the primary concern is visibility of the bus to other traffic and the consideration of stopping distances necessary for other motor vehicles in order to accomplish safe loading and unloading of the children. In general, state law requires 400 feet of clear and continuous visibility on a highway or roadway where the speed limit is more than 35 miles per hour, and 200 feet where the speed limit is less than 35 miles per hour. There is no state law which specifies a maximum distance between stops.
What about the safety of my child getting to and from the bus stop? There are no sidewalks where we live and it's not very safe walking on the busy road we live on.
It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to see that a child gets safely to and from the bus stop. The school district provides transportation as a non-mandated service and establishes placement of the bus stops in accordance with the requirements of the law.
Is there a law stating that an adult riding on a school bus for monitoring purposes be seated at a specific location on the bus?
There are no law pertaining to this issue. In most cases when adults are assigned to monitor students that are being transported on a bus, they are near the student or students who possess the greatest amount of supervisory need.
My child spends over two hours a day just riding the bus to and from school. Is there a maximum riding time in the law?
There is no maximum riding time in the law for children in kindergarten through grade twelve. Child care licensing regulations establish a maximum riding time of 60 continuous minutes for the transportation of preschool children.
School districts are NOT required by law to transport regular education children. Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) 380.1321 outlines the obligations of the school district IF its board of education elects to provide transportation. Under Article 3 of the Revised School Code, the school district is obligated to provide for the transportation of a special education student if the Individualized Educational Planning Committee (IEPC) has determined that the transportation is a specialized service which is included within and necessary to carry out the student's IEP.
My child is starting kindergarten. Will the bus pick my child up in front of my house?
There are no special laws or regulations for transporting regular education students enrolled in kindergarten. If your district provides transportation, it will be provided in accordance with the requirements of MCL 380.1321, Section 55 of the Pupil Transportation Act, and local district policy with regard to the placement of the bus stop.
Is there a law about how far my child has to walk to the bus stop?
No law specifies the maximum distance a student may walk to the bus stop.
Is there a specified distance that must exist between school bus stops?
The lights on a school bus which are used to notify other traffic of an upcoming stop must, by law, be activated 200 feet from the stop. Thus, bus stops must be at least 200 feet apart.
What other factors are involved in establishing where the school bus stops?
There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when school administrators establish the placement of school bus stops. The basic legal factors are spelled out in MCL 257.1855, but the primary concern is visibility of the bus to other traffic and the consideration of stopping distances necessary for other motor vehicles in order to accomplish safe loading and unloading of the children. In general, state law requires 400 feet of clear and continuous visibility on a highway or roadway where the speed limit is more than 35 miles per hour, and 200 feet where the speed limit is less than 35 miles per hour. There is no state law which specifies a maximum distance between stops.
What about the safety of my child getting to and from the bus stop? There are no sidewalks where we live and it's not very safe walking on the busy road we live on.
It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to see that a child gets safely to and from the bus stop. The school district provides transportation as a non-mandated service and establishes placement of the bus stops in accordance with the requirements of the law.
Is there a law stating that an adult riding on a school bus for monitoring purposes be seated at a specific location on the bus?
There are no law pertaining to this issue. In most cases when adults are assigned to monitor students that are being transported on a bus, they are near the student or students who possess the greatest amount of supervisory need.
My child spends over two hours a day just riding the bus to and from school. Is there a maximum riding time in the law?
There is no maximum riding time in the law for children in kindergarten through grade twelve. Child care licensing regulations establish a maximum riding time of 60 continuous minutes for the transportation of preschool children.