Transportation

• Elementary students in grades K-5 who live .5 mile or more from their assigned school are eligible for transportation.
• Middle School students in grades 6-8 who live 1 mile or more from their assigned school are eligible for transportation.
• High School students in grades 9-12 who live 1.5 miles or more from their assigned school are eligible for transportation.
• Select Pearson Early Learning Center programs have a transportation option - please contact  the school for the latest information and schedule.
• Tokata Learning Center families, please contact the school for more information.

• Students in grades K-5 may be required to walk up to .25 of a mile to their assigned bus stop.  
• Students in grades 6-12 may be required to walk up to .50 of a mile to their assigned bus stop.

The Transportation Department is happy to consider your request, however, most bus stops are established for a reason and will not be changed. Very rarely will Palmer Bus consider house stops in suburban neighborhoods. It is not possible to provide bus stops that are within sight of all student homes or daycares. Most families that live even one house from the corner cannot see the corner bus stop without coming out of their homes. We encourage parents to be out at bus stops to promote proper pedestrian and bus stop behavior.

Each child is assigned an approximate pick-up and drop off time. This time may change. The first week varies quite a bit. After the first two weeks, things settle down into a routine. Be aware that weather, road construction and traffic can alter times.

Once you have completed all of your enrollment paperwork the transportation office will contact you with your route information, bus number, and stop times.  This process can take up to five business days and your child is not eligible to be on the bus until they are assigned to a bus and route.

If a student resides in a qualifying area, they will be automatically enrolled for bussing unless otherwise noted.  No additional action is required upon enrollment for those families.

If specific transportation services are requested, the transportation office will contact each family with route information or necessary questions.

Bus information for the upcoming school year is sent to homes approximately two weeks before school starts and is accessible in Infinite Campus at that time.

Students are only allowed to ride their assigned bus. A student will be sent back to the school office if they attempt to ride a bus other than their own.

You will need to fill out an   Alternate Address Transportation Application electronically. Once the form is submitted, it usually takes 2-3 days before the change goes into effect, so please do not wait until the last minute. This form must be filled out each year as it does not carry over. For shared custody circumstances, this form should be filled out by only one parent.

Children are allowed to ride bicycles to and from school. Racks are provided for parking them on the lower level behind the school, but the school does not accept any responsibility for the bicycles. Please be aware of the following guidelines:

• All bicycles must be parked & locked in the racks provided for that purpose.
• All bicycles must be pushed - not ridden - whenever on the school grounds.
• Students are not allowed to ride bicycles during the school day.
• Students may not ride a bicycle belonging to another student.
• It is strongly recommended that children in grades K-2 do not ride bicycles to school.
• Violation of bicycle rules will result in the loss of bicycle riding privileges.

Also, for safety reasons, the use of roller shoes, skateboards and/or in-line skates are not allowed on school property.  Walk bikes on school property.

Parents/guardians may not ride the school bus. Drivers are instructed not to let unauthorized adults on the bus. This is for the protection of all students.

BUS STOP: Show your child where the bus stop is and how to walk home from the bus stop. Show them from all possible directions. Students often become confused when they approach a stop from a different direction.

WRONG BUS: Teach your child to tell the bus driver if they believe they are on the wrong bus. Teach the student what to do if they get off at the wrong stop or if someone is not home when they arrive. Students should never attempt to walk to another area. Make sure your student knows they should walk directly home. 

If your student will not be riding the bus, please call 952-445-1166 in addition to the child's school attendance line. This is especially important if your child is the only student at the bus stop. Many bus routes become late because the driver is waiting for a student who is not at the bus stop on time.

The Transportation Department has a computerized mapping system that determines the distance to school for each student. If there is a question, a Transportation Staff member will measure the distance. The distance is calculated from the center of the street in front of the residence driveway to safest, most direct point that the student will enter the school's campus. The measurement does not include the resident's personal property, nor the schools property. 

Efficiency is paramount to our transportation system. Entering each cul-de-sac adds significant time to each route.

Minimizing bus stops reduce costs for fuel as well as wear and tear on the buses. Many cul-de-sacs are also not designed for large vehicles. A full-sized bus needs at least 115 feet to safely turn and most cul-de-sacs are 90 feet wide.

Backing a school bus is a dangerous maneuver and not recommended by the Minnesota State Highway Patrol.

Many neighborhoods use the cul-de-sac also acts as an extension of their yards. We do not want the driver to have to navigate parked cars, basketball hoops, boat trailers, and children's toys.

The order of pick up and drop off of students is designed to be most efficient and within the shortest possible time. Students who are first on in the morning will not necessarily be the first off in the afternoon if it is a less efficient way to run the route. In general, the farther students live from school, the longer their bus ride will be. All route times are kept under one hour and are usually in the range of 30 – 40 minutes each way. The length of the bus ride is not determined by the distance from school, but by the number of stops made.

Additional considerations include:

• Time of day students are at the stop. 
• Traffic patterns and speed limits.
• Length of walk to the stop. 
• Whether the student needs to cross a busy street to get to the bus stop.
• What is the age of the student.
• Is a turn around for the bus required.