THREE CHEERS FOR THE YELLOW SCHOOL BUS!

At TO School, we view the yellow school bus as a fantastic alternative to driving your child to school.  It's also the most popular alternative.  The BVSD Transportation Department takes approximately 8,500 students daily to and from our 54 schools ranging from Nederalnd, Jamestown and Gold Hill in the west to Broomfield, Louisville, Lafayette and Superior in the east. 

The information that follows is meant to suplement and not replace what you can find on the Transportation Department's website.  Here are the most requently asked questions we hear from parents:

Is my child eligible for school bus service?

Yellow school buses provide transportation to and from schools for BVSD students who live within school attendance areas but outside of standard school walking/biking distances (1.5 miles for elementary schools, 2.0 miles for middle schools and 2.5 miles for high schools).  Keep in mind that the walk zone is not as the ‘crow flies’ but is the shortest reasonable walking distance from your home to school as computed by Edulog, the software program that creates bus routes from student address data.  School buses also serve students who live within the walk/bike zone but encounter what the district deems is a walking/biking hazard, e.g., having to cross Broadway.  

In addition, school bus service exists for special education students (SPED) whose Individual Educational Program (IEP) specifies the need for the service and for English as a Second Language students (ESL) who are attending schools not in their attendance area .  However, if parents choose a different school for their SPED or ESL student than that specified by the school district, they will be considered to be ‘open enrolled’ and no longer eligible for bus service.

How and when will I know if my child will have school bus service and where the stop is?

The school bus routing staff sends out postcards to the parents of all students of record who qualify for school bus service for the coming school year in early August.  The postcard states the appropriate bus stop location and time of arrival. You can also log in to Infinite Campus any time and click the transportation link to find out your bus stop and time.

What if I don’t get a postcard or the information is not on Infinite Campus?

If you registered your child for school after August 1, it’s likely that they won’t be on the transportation address database and you will not be notified.  Please call your school's main office.  They will know about your eligibility and give you the appropriate stop and time information.  While we do our best to make our address database accurate, errors are possible. 

Is there a ‘space available’ option?

Yes, you may apply for space available on an existing route if you are not deemed eligible for bus service.  Space available is determined based on the number of empty seats on routes as of September 15. You can apply through the space available form on the transportation website ‘forms for parents’ page.  You will be notified after September 15 if you’ve been given a space available seat.

What else do my child and I need to know about riding the school bus?

You'll find everything you need to know in our Parent Handbook.  Clicking on it will take you there.