Information

- About Us
- Parental Choice
- Occasional Alternate Service
- Student Responsibilities
- Parent Responsibilities
- Inclement Weather

- About Us -

Parkland School Division operates one of the largest regional student transportation systems in the province. In addition to providing transportation services to Parkland students, we also provide service to Evergreen Catholic and private school students, including Living Waters Christian Academy, St. Matthews, and Devon Christian.

Parkland is committed to providing a safe bus ride for all students and provides all bus operators with extensive training and support. All students learn how to ride the bus safely.

Bus Service

Parkland School Division provides bus service to students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 who:

Reside more than 2.4 kilometres from their designated school
Reside less than 2.4 kilometres and more than 0.9 kilometres from their designated school provided an urban bus pass is purchased

New Bus Students

If your child is a new bus student to our Division, please complete the Student Transportation Registration Form. You will receive confirmation of your registration from our Student Transportation Department within 2 weeks of registering.

Does your child have special needs or circumstances that we need to take into consideration? Please contact our Student Transportation department to allow us to make arrangements to accommodate.

Accommodating Parental Choice -

Attendance Boundaries and Designated Schools

Parents are expected to register their child at their designated school. The designated school is determined by your address in relationship to the attendance boundary established by The Board.

Cross-Boundary Transportation

Parents that choose to register their child in a school other than their designated school are required to pay a system-wide cross-boundary transportation fee.

Cross-Boundary_Attendance/Transportation Form

Transportation will be provided for students who choose to attend a school other than their designated school, provided:

There is space available on the bus
The bus does not have to be diverted from the regular approved route
The receiving school has the space available to accommodate the child
That applicable cross-boundary fees are paid

Note: If an urban student is attending a non-designated school, the cross-boundary fee will apply. The student will NOT be required to purchase an urban bus pass in addition to paying the cross-boundary fee.

Exceptions

The following transported students will not be required to pay for cross-boundary transportation fees:

Students with special needs directed to a specialized program outside their designated school
Students enrolled in specialized programming for which provincial transportation funding is provided
Students attending a non-designated school, who were residing within an optional transportation area that was removed by the Board during the 2004/05 school year (this applies only to those students currently enrolled in Parkland, not their siblings who will be entering the system)
Students in grades 10 to 12 for whom the distance is closer to a non-Parkland high school, e.g. Drayton Valley

Note: Students enrolled in specialized programming such as Maranatha, at a school other than their designated school, will be required to pay the cross-boundary fees.

- Occasional Alternate Service -

If a student would like to ride a bus other than their own, or to disembark at another stop, parents are required to send a request to the bus operator indicating:

The name(s) of the children
The bus route number(s)
The date on which the change will happen

Requests will be approved based on seat availability. If you require more information, please contact Student Transportation at 780-963-8452.

Parent and Student Responsibilities

Our Student Transportation Department takes its responsibility to students and parents very seriously. To ensure your child's transportation is as quick and as safe as possible, each year our staff:

Provide bus route information to parents and students
Provide attendance boundary information
Establish and monitor all bus routes and bus contracts
Provide all bus operators with training
Provide students with training on how to ride the bus safely

Students are reminded to:

Be at their designated stop 5 minutes prior to the arrival of their bus
Stay off the travelled roadway at all times while waiting for the bus
Watch their step and use the hand rail when getting on and off the bus.
Cross the road at least 10 paces in front of the bus and watch for the bus operator to indicate when it is safe to proceed
Be seated promptly in their regular seat
Remain seated during the entire trip.
Never hang any object or part of their body out the bus window
Refrain from smoking or using vulgar language
Refrain from making loud noises
Inform the operator when an absence is expected from riding the bus
Expect to be denied the privilege of riding the bus for misbehaving
Obey the bus operator at all times
Understand that in the event of a delay exceeding 15 minutes of the regular departure time, the student is to return to their residence and contact Student Transportation by phone at 780-963-8452

Parents are reminded to:

Be certain that your children are at the bus on time.
Provide the necessary protection of your children when going to and from the bus stop.
Make certain that your children are properly dressed in case of emergencies during cold or wet weather.
Be responsible for any damage to a bus by their children.
Encourage children to obey all traffic rules and school bus regulations.
Make reasonable effort to understand and cooperate with those responsible for student transportation.
Notify bus operator of any pertinent medical condition.

- Inclement Weather -

When weather conditions place the safety of transporting bus students at risk, our Superintendent of School in consultation with the manager of Transportation may choose to suspend school bus services and/or close schools. Weather factors that serve as guidelines in making this decision are:

Wind-chill of approximately -50 below
Visibility of less than 1 kilometer
Reports from bus drivers that many rural roads are, or will soon be, impassable
Temperature of -40C
During inclement weather, the final decision to send a child to the bus stop or to school rests with parents, even though buses may be operational. Parents are responsible for listening to the designated radio stations to receive the correct information with regard to school closures or bus cancellations. Local radio stations notified of bus/school closures are:

CBC - AM 740
CFCW - AM 790
CHQT - AM 880
CHED - AM 630
The Weather Network (TV)
Power 92 - FM 92
CISN - FM 103.9
K97 - FM 97
Mix - FM 96
The Bear - 100.3 FM

Parents should ensure that students are dressed appropriately while traveling to and from school during inclement weather conditions whether they are riding the bus or walking. The temperatures on a school bus may drop dramatically in the event of mechanical problems.