203.00.12 Ark. Code R. § 004 Aft 006: Rules Governing Maintenance and Operations of Public School Buses and Physical Examinations of School Bus Drivers

• Library: Arkansas Administrative Code
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 12, December, 2023
• Citation: 203.00.12 Ark. Code R. § 004
• Year: 2023

1.0 Regulatory Authority

1.01 The Commission for Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation enacts these Rules pursuant to its authority as set forth in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 6Regulations and standards generally6-19-101 et seq 6Commission for Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation - Created6-21-114 and 25Title25-15-201 et seq.

2.0 Purpose of Regulations

2.01 The purpose of this Rule is to ensure the safe and efficient operation of public school buses in Arkansas and to prescribe the requirements for the physical examination of school bus drivers.

3.0 Definitions

3.01 Advanced practice nurse - An APN is a registered nurse who is licensed by the state as an advanced practice nurse. An APN has advanced education at least at the Masters level as well as a national certification from a certifying body recognized by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (i.e., ANCC, NAPNAP).

3.02 Commission - The Commission for Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation.

3.03 Division - The Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation.

3.04 Licensed physician - A person licensed to practice medicine pursuant to state law.

3.05 Out of Service - A school bus which is out of compliance with the safety requirements of this Rule and the Arkansas School Bus Inspection Handbook.

3.06 School Bus Driver - Any person transporting students in any vehicle meeting the definition of a school bus that requires the person to hold a commercial drivers license. A school bus driver will be deemed qualified if they posses a valid commercial drivers license, a current certificate of completed in-service training, current physical examination and additional qualifications as required by the school district board of directors.

3.07 School bus - A motor vehicle designed to carry ten (10) or more passengers that is:3.07.1 Owned by a public or governmental agency or a private school and operated for the transportation of students to or from school or school-sponsored activities; or 3.07.2 Privately owned and operated for compensation for the transportation of students to or from school or school-sponsored activities.

3.08 School District - Every reference to "school district" shall include any open-enrollment public charter school that operates a school bus, except as waived by the State Board of Education pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6Application forms and procedures for open-enrollment public charter schools6-23-301 et seq.

4.0 Written Policies

4.01 All public school districts shall establish written policies concerning transportation by school districts including, but not limited to:4.01.1 Transportation eligibility; 4.01.2 Student behavior while being transported; and 4.01.3 Emergency procedures while being transported. 4.01.4 All students who are transported in a school bus shall be instructed in safe riding practices and shall participate in emergency evacuation drills at least twice each school year. Each evacuation drill shall be documented and kept on file.

5.0 School Bus Drivers

5.01 Each school district shall establish a training program for school bus drivers. The training program must be developed and administered to assure that each driver attains a high degree of competence in and knowledge of his or her duties and responsibilities as a school bus driver.

5.02 Every newly hired school bus driver shall receive a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours of pre-service training for the type or types of school buses that he or she will be driving prior to driving any school bus.

5.03 Every school bus driver shall receive an additional three (3) hours of in-service training annually provided by the Division.

5.04 Each driver shall be issued a school bus driver certificate, valid for one (1) year, upon documentation that he/she has successfully completed his or her pre-service driver training. Certification shall be renewed upon completion of the annual three (3) hour in-service.

5.05 A school district board of directors may provide a substitute driver to operate a school bus on a temporary basis without a certificate until the next regularly scheduled school bus drivers examination is held in the locality if (1) a qualified bus driver is not...