Students should arrive at the bus stop five (5) minutes before the scheduled pick-up time. This speeds up the loading process of students at the stop and keeps the buses on schedule. It also reduces the time traffic waits for the bus at the stop location. Most importantly, it prevents students from running after the bus, which places them in teh danger zone around the bus exterior. The danger zone is an area 10 feet around the bus, and danger increases once the bus starts moving. Once a bus departs a stop location and in accordance with best/safest practice, the bus will not stop.
Routes are planned in accordance with Colorado Department of Education regulation, which in part:
According to state regulation, a major thoroughfare is defined as "a freeway, U.S. highway outside any incorporated limit, interstate highway, highway with four or more lanes, or a highway or road with a median separating multiple lanes of traffic."
We limit access to the list of bus stops. In an effort to increase student safety, LPS bus routes are not posted online or mailed to all LPS taxpayers. Instead, bus routes are available electronically through the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus (a tab to access Parent Portal is accessible through this website). Parents who have a working email address on file with LPS will also receive an email containing this information. This information in hard copy form will also be available at each LPS school and at the Transportation Services Center. We believe this is an important step to increasing student safety.
The number one criteria when establishing bus stop locations is providing a safe location and path to access the bus. Although LPS transportation utilizes state and industry standards to establish what is considered "safe," parents are always free to find alternative ways to transport their students if they are not comfortable with the path or location.
Public property, such as parks, mailbox clusters, church parking areas, or school property, is the preferred location for bus stops. If these types of locations are not available, the next safest placement will be considered. Bus stops are situated to be efficient and accessible for all assigned students who may access the bus stop. Some students may be asked to walk the same distance as a walking student going to and from school in order to access the stop location.
A bus stop change request may be made at any time for the following reasons:
The request may come from the driver, parent, school, or resident. The request is reviewed and discussed by the appropriate staff and driver. If the final decision is to move the authorized bus stop, children, parents, and school personnel are notified, and route sheets are revised. It is preferred that three days minimum notice be given in the event a stop is changed, but shorter notice may be required to increase student safety. Drivers are mandated to load and unload students only at those designated stops that have been authorized by transportation staff in accordance with state guidelines.
An "authorized bus stop" is a location that is designated within the LPS routing system as an authorized and designated location for student pick-up or drop-off. The only reason a stop might occur away from an authorized bus stop would be due to severe weather or an emergency, with permission from the Transportation Director or his designee.