Transportation

The order of pick-up and drop-offs of students is designed to be the most efficient and within the shortest possible time. Students who are first on in the morning will not necessarily be the first off in the afternoon if it is a less efficient way to run the route. In general, the farther students live from school, the longer their bus ride will be. The length of the bus ride is determined by both the distance from school and the number of stops made. It takes a considerable amount of time to make thirty stops for 50-60 students for example. For this reason, we are making every attempt to minimize the number of bus stops and to keep them at corners.

Bus routing is designed with buses traveling main roads through neighborhoods and with students picked up and dropped off at central locations. Bus stops are located at corners or intersections whenever possible and are usually central to where students are coming from. Some house stops are made on very busy roads or mid-way on long streets. Bus stops will generally be closer to student's houses for younger students. Older students are expected to be able to walk farther to bus stops.

We are not able to route all buses so that children can board the bus from the door side.  We recommend that children wait on the side of the street that they reside.  The bus will stop traffic in all directions to accommodate students that need to cross the street to board the bus.  You should instruct your student to wait for the driver's signal before crossing in front of the bus.

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

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. 

School bus stops are placed in central locations to shorten route length and times. Transportation services makes every effort to see that these stops are safe and have appropriate walking routes to them. In many cases a bus will stop at a front door if there is no appropriate stop within a reasonable distance. By law, school buses must also have at least one-three hundred feet between stops (determined by a road's speed limit).  The higher frequency of stops made by the bus increases the dangers for an accident because of impatient motorists and increasing the number of stops, makes the student ride time longer.

Bus stops are centrally located and at intersections. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the daycare provider to get the students to the bus stop. 

In order to be consistent and fair in placement of bus stops, the school district is not able to establish stops based on personal circumstances.

The school district provides transportation for over 7,000 students to and from school each day.  We are 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 parent, guardian, or daycare provider to ensure that their child arrives safely at the bus stop.

White Bear Lake Area Schools' Emergency School Closing information