Transportation Department

Director of Transportation—Walter Doughty
Phone: 847-963-3905
E-mail: doughtyw@ccsd15.net

Your child is entitled to bus transportation at no charge if you are a resident of School District 15 and live 1-1/2 miles or more from the school he or she will attend. The Board of Education makes transportation available to other areas on a paid basis and accepts riders to the extent that transportation services are available. No stops will be made less than one-half mile from the school building.

Safely Transporting Our Students [PDF 175KB]

District 15 operates its own bus fleet, which is one of the largest district-owned bus fleets in Illinois. A total of 138 buses safely transport 10,500 parochial and public school children each day.

Approximately 1.5 million miles are logged annually on district buses. To maintain the highest safety levels possible approximately 250 tires are replaced on district buses and two state inspections are performed on each bus every year. The district uses approximately 220,000 gallons of fuel yearly.

Services

Free Riders—School District 15 provides free bus transportation for students who live more than 1.5 miles from their designated attendance center or within an approved state-designated hazard area. The state of Illinois grants partial reimbursement for this service.

Pay Riders—State funding is not provided for students living within 1.5 miles of their schools. These students may ride the bus for a fee determined annually by the Board of Education. The fee cannot be pro-rated, waived, or refunded. An Application for Paid Transportation [Word 289kb] is available at each school. Please submit a separate application for each student for whom you choose paid transportation. Payments may be made by cash, check, or credit card. Specific payment instructions are found on the application for paid transportation. Bus route information will be mailed in August. (No stops will be made less than one-half mile from the school building.)

Transportation fees for the 2008-09 school year are:

On or before August 1, 2008:

• One child—$370
• Two children—$470
• Three or more children—$520

After August 1, 2008:

• One child—$420
• Two children—$520
• Three or more children—$570

Payment in full and a completed Application for Paid Transportation [Word 289kb] must be received by August 1, 2008, to avoid a service charge. The annual transportation fee cannot be prorated, waived, or refunded. The first day of school is Wednesday, August 21, 2008. Bus route assignments for late applications may be available after August 27, 2008.

Activity Buses—Activity buses are available to junior high students after school and on a limited basis before school. Students who are involved in after-school clubs, sports, and activities may ride the after-school activity bus. These activity buses do not run the day before a school holiday. Activity bus fees for 2008-09 are $60/family/year.

Field Trips—Most of the district's field trips are taken on School District 15 buses.

Routes and Stops—Scheduled bus routes and stops are assigned to accommodate the most centrally located population. Generally, buses do not stop at more than every other block (corner). As bus stop times are a general guide, students are expected to be at their bus stop five minutes before the scheduled pickup time. Heavy traffic or inclement weather can prevent drivers from maintaining the scheduled stop times. Students are encouraged to wait until the bus arrives.

2008-09 School Start/Dismissal Times

The schedule of school start/dismissal times for the 2008-09 school year was approved by the Board of Education on March 12, 2008. Bus routes will be developed in the summer. Detailed information about your child’s bus pick up/drop off times will be mailed to your home in August.

Special Education Transportation—Although most special education students attend a District 15 school, we provide bus transportation to other schools in the north and northwest suburban area. The transportation and special services directors jointly coordinate special education bus routes. Because most special education students are picked up at “house” stops, parents are requested to call the transportation office (847-963-3909) if a student is not attending school, or your can leave a message on our absence recorder (847-963-3801). The transportation office opens at 5:30 a.m.

Safety

Driver Qualifications—All School District 15 bus drivers are licensed by the Secretary of State and the Illinois State Board of Education. To qualify for a school bus license, a driver must:

• Have a good driving record.
• Be at least 21 years old.
• Complete a state-mandated, eight-hour bus safety course.
• Demonstrate safe behind-the-wheel driving skills.
• Complete an annual two-hour bus safety refresher course.
• Pass an annual physical examination, including a drug/alcohol test.

School District 15 provides inservice workshops for drivers on topics such as bus safety, discipline, defensive driving, and driving in bad weather.

Bus Inspections—School District 15 maintains its own staff of trained mechanics. All buses meet strict safety standards set by state and federal regulations. All buses are equipped with radios and are in contact with the transportation office at all times. Each school bus is required to have:

• A daily, pre-trip safety inspection by the driver.
• Preventive maintenance and safety inspection every 3,000 miles.
• An inspection every six months at a state-licensed safety-lane facility.
• A major safety and maintenance inspection annually or every 10,000 miles.

At least twice a year, students practice proper procedures for an emergency bus evacuation. In addition, all buses are equipped with a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

Student Safety and Behavior—Most accidents or injuries to students occur when they are boarding or leaving the bus. Students must follow every precaution when entering or leaving the bus. If anything is dropped when getting on or off the bus, the youngster should not pick it up. The child should let the driver know that something has been dropped so the driver may assist the student. Parents are encouraged to review this rule with their children.

Please encourage your child(ren) to wear their seat belt while riding the bus.

Video Cameras—For your child's safety, video cameras have been installed on district buses to monitor and encourage good behavior. The camera enables the driver to concentrate on driving the bus.

School bus discipline is a cooperative effort among student, parent, bus driver, and principal, and is necessary to ensure the safety of all students. Misbehavior on a school bus is highly distracting to a driver and creates an unsafe condition. We strongly encourage children to follow these 10 behavior guidelines.

• Students must cross the road 10 feet in front of the bus only when the stop arm is out and the flashers are operating.
• While waiting for the bus, children are not to stand or play on the road or street.
• Hands, arms, and/or head should not extend through the bus window.
• Windows are not to be lowered beyond the safety mark.
• Students should be at the bus stop five minutes before the scheduled arrival time of the bus. At the end of the school day, students are to go quickly to the designated area and wait in an orderly fashion for the bus.
• Students are to remain seated with seatbelts fastened throughout the entire bus route.
• Students are to board and depart bus at their assigned stop.
• Loud conversation, profane language, throwing objects, and discourteous actions toward the bus driver or other passengers are not tolerated. Students are responsible for any damage to the bus.
• Glass containers, live animals, and large objects may not be carried on the bus.
• Students who display inappropriate behavior will have their transportation privilege taken away.

Reminders for Motorists—Parents and community members can support bus drivers by being good safety examples to their children and by being courteous to bus drivers. Here are a few reminders:

• It is against the law to pass from either direction on two-lane roads a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and the stop arm extended. Traffic on four-lane roads going in the opposite direction do not have to stop.
• A school bus must stop at all railroad crossings with or without children by using emergency lights.
• School buses make frequent stops and wide turns.

District 15 Transportation Department recognized with top transportation awards:

In 2004, The Transportation Department of Community Consolidated School District 15 was recognized by School Bus Fleet magazine as having one of the top ten maintenance programs in the nation.

In 2003, District 15’s Transportation Department, which transports more than 10,000 students daily to district and local parochial schools, has been selected as the 2003 winner of the top school transportation award in the nation—the Leland E.G. Larson Quality Student Transportation Award, presented by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT).

In 2001, one school bus fleet per state was selected by School Bus Fleet for recognition on the basis of excellence in safety, maintenance, driver training, and innovation. District 15’s fleet represents Illinois in the magazine's annual tribute to exemplary school bus fleets.

© 2001-2008 Community Consolidated School District 15