It is the policy of the district to provide bus transportation between designated bus stops and schools the students attend. For most students, this means walking to a bus stop located some distance from home. It is the policy of the district not to provide door-to-door transportation.

In establishing bus routes and pick-up points, safety is the primary concern. However, efficiency and economy of the transportation arrangements are also factors which must be considered.

1. Bus routes will be established so that an authorized bus stop is available within a reasonable walking distance of the home of every pupil entitled to transportation service.
2. Authorized bus stops shall be located at convenient intervals in places which pupils can be loaded and unloaded, cross roadways, and await arrival of buses with the utmost safety permitted by roadway conditions.
3. Students should plan to be at their assigned bus stop five to ten minutes before scheduled time. If students miss the bus, it is their or their parent's responsibility to arrange to get to school.
4. Parents are responsible for the safety of their children while walking or riding in vehicles other than school buses between home and school or home and authorized bus stop.
5. Bus routes shall be established over the most direct roads practical for bus travel. As much as possible, routes will be laid out so as to make full use of the carrying capacity of each bus.
6. Special transportation shall be provided for the eligible physically/mentally handicapped.
7. Transportation will be provided for each resident child attending a private or parochial school when such transportation is required by State Law and in accordance with the Hyde Park School District calendar. Transportation arrangements will be the same as for children attending the public schools of the district. Requests for transportation to private and parochial schools must be filed, by law, annually prior to April 1 for the following September.
8. Parents will be notified by letter in August regarding bus route information. Bus routes will also be published in area newspapers and on the District Web Site prior to the opening of school.
9. Unless specifically noted, students will ride the same bus route number home as they do in the morning.

If you have specific questions that are not answered by the individual bus route listings, please call the transportation office at 845-229-4070

The Board of Education's bus policy related to bus accidents states that bus drivers are responsible for the safety of their riders. The policy requires drivers to rigorously observe all motor vehicle laws and regulations for the proper operation of their vehicle. In establishing this policy, the Board also adopted a district set of rules and regulations that each driver is expected to follow in the event of a bus accident.

Briefly stated, if a bus is involved in an accident, all children will be transported to a hospital either by ambulance or in a vehicle driven by the school authorities.

Because of New York State's no-fault insurance laws, any injury that your child incurs during a school bus accident must be claimed on your automobile insurance, not the School District's insurance.

The complete policy and set of regulations is available in any school office, the transportation department, and the Superintendent's office.

STAFF - Field Trip Information

Steps 1 – 4 of the Day Trips procedures apply, with the exception that the field trip request form should be submitted no less than seven (7) weeks in advance for overnight trips, since these require Board of Education approval.

1.  Overnight field trip request forms must be received and stamped by the board clerk no later than one (1) month prior to the Board of Education meeting date at which board approval is anticipated. All prior approvals must be in place, including the review and approval by both the assistant superintendent for business and the superintendent of schools.

2.  Following approval by the Board of Education, copies of approved request forms are returned to: the building principal; the curriculum director, if appropriate; the transportation supervisor, and the teacher(s)/advisor(s) requesting the trip.

Note:  No overnight field trip should be presumed approved and scheduled until the signed approval is returned from the board clerk.

Note: If a private carrier is not being used, parents/guardians may transport their child(ren) to/from the event. Students whose parents are not providing transportation will be provided transportation by an occasional driver designated by the District (lead agent of the trip). Both the private carrier and designated occasional driver’s vehicles are required to be inspected by the District’s transportation supervisor. STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO DRIVE THEMSELVES.

3. In addition, the responsible administrator must ensure that the following information required for overnight field trips is completed and available in the district office in a timely fashion prior to the departure date:

Trip information:

1. List of student names with each student’s parent/guardian emergency contact information.
2. List of chaperones and key contact person(s) with cellular telephone number(s).
3. Contact information for housing, if applicable.
4. Contact information for transportation carrier, if applicable.
5. Trip itinerary.

4. For overnight trips, the following completed and signed documents must be taken on the trip, with a duplicate complete file retained with the approving administrator:

Trip documents:

1. Field Trip / Overnight Permission Slip
2. Field Trip Transportation Permission Slip (if not using district transportation)
3. Code of Conduct Signed by Parent Transporting/Accompanying Student
4. Acceptance and Behavioral Contract
5. Self-Medication Release form
6. Authorization to Consent to Treatment for Minor
7. Medication Permission Request form
8. Student Health Information form

The following trip requirements must be met for overnight trips:

1. Room assignments must be separated by gender.
2. Chaperones must receive a duty checklist and have their responsibilities clearly delineated. Such a duty checklist must minimally include:
   • List of students for whom the chaperone is responsible.
   • Specific times for curfew and bed check.
   • Specific number of times and places for head counts (Roll call head count is preferable).