Every Center Grove student who is eligible for transportation is assigned a specific bus stop and route number. The Routing Specialist in the Department of Transportation uses the VersaTrans software program to determine required bus stops. VersaTrans considers bus seating capacity, student data, zoning information, and safety variables during processing to create the safest, most efficient bus routes possible. We strive to place bus stops no more than 1/4 mile from each rider’s home, although the distance to most stops is far less.

Bus stops are located at street corners and/or every 600 feet. Even though we may pass your house during the route, we cannot stop at your house.

Why does our bus stop change from year to year?
Each year students move in and out of subdivisions, plus, students advance in grade levels. Therefore, stops change to accommodate all students in the area. Our routing software, VersaTrans, calculates all students in the area and walk distances to each stop—then determines the safest location for all students.

Please remember that we transport more than 8000 students every day, so it is impossible to provide door-to-door service to everyone, and do it in a timely manner. It is more efficient to pick up several students in one stop, usually at a corner or other mid-way point for the students.

Most of the sub-divisions in our district do not have sidewalks and the lighting is poor in many areas. With our VersaTrans routing software, and our knowledge of the areas we service, we try very hard to place our bus stops at the safest location possible. But, it is very important to remember that that it is the parent’s responsibility for the safety of the child to and from the bus stop.

Our routing system, VersaTrans, calculates the mileage of the route, the number of stops along the route, and the speed limits of the roads to determine the “approximate” pick up and drop off time. What the routing program cannot do is calculate the traffic conditions, weather, and road conditions along the route. Therefore, it becomes necessary for the driver to make adjustments. When the adjustments are needed, the driver must contact our office and the students in advance to let them know of the change. Our office will contact the school and send a letter home with each student explaining the new time of pick-up. The afternoon drop off can vary some depending who is riding, traffic conditions and weather. If you feel the bus is running later than usual, 15 minutes or more, please call the school and see if the bus was delayed for any reason, or call our office 317.881.0555.

Each bus carries 50-70 students every day to and from school. It would take a great amount of time to call each house informing them of a bus running 15 minutes late. Please do not hesitate to call our office or the school if you have a concern. We encourage parents to download the "Here Comes the Bus" app, which will provide you with notifications when your child's bus is nearing its stop. Links and instructions are available via the tab to the left.

Why does my child have to sit in an assigned seat?
There are several reasons for this the first would be safety. An assigned seat on the bus helps the driver know who is on the bus. It also eliminates the child trying to find a seat at the stop, thus allowing other students the ability to deny a seat to your child. Assigned seats also help with deterring acts of vandalism on the bus.

Things are happening on the bus that the driver doesn’t do anything about—why?
The drivers first and foremost responsibility is to drive the bus! They cannot see everything that is happening on the bus at all times. If something is happening on the bus that concerns you and your child, please contact the principal of your school or call our office so we can assist. Most often the driver is not aware there is a problem. However, each driver is happy to assist and make every child’s bus ride a safe and enjoyable experience.

 

All school bus discipline problems should be immediately reported to the Principal of your child’s school. Students who continue to cause problems can be removed from the bus for a period of one to ten days, or permanently, depending on the nature of the disciplinary problems.

 

My child was running towards the bus and the driver looked at him/her then drove off. Why?
While it might look as though the driver “looked at the child and drove off” it is simply not the case at all. Drivers must check all the mirrors on the bus before moving. By looking at the mirrors it may seem as though the driver looked at the child, however; the driver never saw the child. The best way to make sure your child does not miss the bus it to be at the stop earlier, about 5 minutes before the scheduled stop.

We were late this morning and my child went running after the bus, but the driver never stopped.
Never, ever let your child run after a moving bus! This is just dangerous! If your child misses the bus, please call our office and we may be able to have the bus come around.

What qualifications must bus drivers have to drive a school bus for Center Grove?
In order to qualify to drive a school bus in Center Grove Community School Corporation, a person must be at least 21 years old, possess a valid Indiana Class B Commercial Driver License (CDL) with Passenger (P), school bus driver (S) and air brake endorsements, and must maintain a safe driving record. In addition, prospective drivers must pass the State Department of Education approved physical examination from an approved physician.

Drivers must also complete a comprehensive School Bus Driver Training Program provided by the state of Indiana and the Center Grove Transportation Department. Each year, drivers are evaluated on their driving skills and attend regular safety and training meetings.

Bus driver candidates also undergo a thorough criminal background check through the Police Department, Indiana Bureau of Investigation, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. This investigation will check applicants for any criminal history.

There is no specific number. Under Indiana law, the maximum number of students that can be transported in a school bus corresponds to the seating capacity designated by the manufacturer of the bus. Thus, a 72-passenger bus can carry 72 students, regardless of their age or size. Federal regulations govern how manufacturers determine seating capacity, using a 15-inch block for each designated seating position and rounding up to the nearest whole number. Most school bus seats are 39 inches wide; dividing 39 by 15 produces 2.6, which rounds up to three seating positions per seat.

Clearly that formula is not appropriate for all students. While state law does not limit the number of students per seat, it does require that aisles and exits be free of obstruction. This means that students cannot be hanging off the seats into the aisles, and their belongings cannot block emergency exits. A further consideration is that the passive restraint system called compartmentalization works only for students who are completely contained within the seating system; a student who is partially off the seat is not fully protected. Therefore, the number of students that can safely sit on a school bus seat is the number that fits entirely on the seat.

What are bus drivers allowed to know about student records?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) imposes significant obligations on local school units in regard to how they treat student education records. The state of Indiana has fully incorporated the requirements of FERPA into its own laws dealing with student records.These laws limit, in a comprehensive manner, the person who may access student records without parental consent; specifically, school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in a specific student may have access to student records without the parents' permission.

Under these laws, a school bus driver is defined as a school official, and if that driver operates the school bus in which that specific student rides, it is recognized that the school bus driver has a legitimate educational interest in those parts of a student's record relating to transportation. The "legitimate educational interest" is applicable whenever a school official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility, for example, a school bus driver needs to be informed if a student on the bus is likely to have a seizure or is allergic to bee stings in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility to that student. Likewise, if a student has a cognitive disability, such as autism or ADD, and the disability is likely to manifest itself on the school bus ride, the driver needs to be familiar with appropriate responses to this behavior in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities to all the students on the bus.