Transportation

Transportation Eligibility

School bus transportation is a privilege offered by the district free of charge to students who live two (2) or more miles from his/her zoned campus as measured by the nearest commonly traveled public road. This privilege is conditional upon the student observing safe and appropriate behavior while waiting for the bus, riding the bus, and departing the bus. Important Note: Parents must have their child enrolled at the school of residence before a bus can be assigned.

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities

• Read and understand the general information regarding the transportation services of La Porte ISD.
• Ensure that your child is aware of, cooperates in, and obeys the safety rules as well as bus driver instructions.
• Ensure that your child rides the appropriate bus. Students are allowed to ride ONLY their assigned bus and may only have one (1) bus stop.
• Ensure that your child demonstrates safe and appropriate behavior at the bus stop. 

Bus Route Information

• All bus routes are designed to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible while still meeting the students' needs.
• When a route change is necessary that will affect pickup/drop off times and/or bus number, notification will be made in the form of notes handed out to the students two (2) afternoons prior to the effective date of change.
• In most cases, bus stops are located at street corners or a common point for students to gather. Bus routes are not designed to pick up and deliver students at every child's home.
• Where possible, bus stops are located such that students should walk no more than one half (1/2) a mile to the nearest bus stop. School buses are built as a heavy duty large truck. Because of their size and weight, buses are not able to travel on some roads. In situations like these, students will be required to walk to an area where a bus can travel safely.
• If students are not present at a bus stop for three (3) consecutive days, the bus stop will be discontinued without notice to the parents. Parents must contact the Transportation Department to resume service at that stop.

Tutorial Routes

After-school tutorial routes might be offered at various times of the school year. Tutorial routes are built on a modified schedule that has fewer bus stops and cover a larger area of the district.

• Students MUST be pre-registered through their campus before boarding the buses. The drivers will not permit a student to board their bus unless they are on the list submitted by the campus.
• Violations of bus safety rules will result in removal from the tutorial route and will also reflect on the regular route bus.

PreK & Special Education Students

PreK & Special Education students will only be released from the bus if a parent/guardian or other predesignated person is present at the bus stop to receive the student. If no approved adult is present, the child will be returned to the campus for the parent to pick-up. Once a student has been returned to the campus twice, the process to suspend bus riding privileges will begin.
 

Gated Communities, Private Property & Construction

• La Porte ISD buses are not permitted to operate on private property or roads that are not maintained by the County or State. Gated communities, apartment complexes, and trailer parks are considered private property. PreK and Special Needs routes may be an exception.
• Neighborhoods that are under construction pose a safety hazard for large vehicles like school buses. La Porte ISD will not travel through areas where significant construction may impact the safety of the bus route.

Bus Safety Rules and Exceptions

School bus transportation is a privilege offered by La Porte ISD to all students who are eligible for this service. The school district staff and bus drivers share your concern about the safety of your child. You can assist in providing a safe bus ride by reviewing the following items with your child.

Meeting the Bus

• Students must be on time and visible at the bus stop. It is recommended that students be at their bus stop ten (10) minutes before pick-up time.
• Students must not stand on the traveled portion of the roadway while waiting for the bus.
• Students must not approach a moving bus until it comes to a complete stop. Once the bus has stopped, the student may walk towards the bus when signaled by the driver.
• Once on the bus, students must go directly to their assigned seat so that the bus may proceed on its route.

Bus Safety Rules

• Observe the same conduct level as expected in the classroom.
• Profanity and obscene gestures are not allowed.
• Do not eat or drink on the bus.
• Do not litter or damage the bus in any way.
• Drivers are authorized to assign seats.
• All items prohibited at school are prohibited on the bus.
• Fighting, horseplay, and throwing objects is prohibited.
• No live/dead animals, flammable materials are not allowed.
• No skateboards, balls, roller blades or balloons may be brought on the bus.
• Large, bulky items that cannot fit under the seat or in the student's lap may not be brought on the bus. Arrangements must be made for the parent to transport these items. This includes large band instruments and school projects.
• Any mobile phone, laptop computer, digital camera, or any other type of electronic or imaging device shall be allowed on school buses provided they are not in use and causing any disruption on the bus. Laptops are to be secured within their laptop bag/case. Photos may not be taken on the bus utilizing camera phones or other types of imaging products due to student confidentiality regulations and safety concerns. An item that a driver confiscates from a student because the item is prohibited on the bus will be returned to the student (with the exception of drugs, weapons, tobacco or any illegal contraband) when they get off the bus or brought to the Transportation Department.

Departing the Bus

• When getting off the bus, students should move quickly but safely away from the unloading area.
• The emergency door at the rear of the bus is to be used for emergency purposes only. It is not to be used for boarding or departing the bus.
• Students are allowed to board and depart the bus at one (1) designated bus stop ONLY!

Consequences for Rule Violations

When a student fails to observe the bus safety rules, the driver will complete a bus safety report and submit it to the Transportation Office to be forwarded to the campus principal. The campus principal will review, with the student, the expectations and consequences for rule violations.

• 1st Report Warning. The report is sent home for parent signature and returned to the principal. Step 2 is explained.
• 2nd Report Warning. The report is sent home for parent signature and retuned to the principal. Step 3 is explained.
• 3rd Report. The student is denied bus privileges for three (3) days. The report is sent home for parent signature and returned to the principal. Step 4 is explained.
• 4th Report. The student is denied bus privileges for ten (10) days. The parent is telephoned and the report is sent home. A conference with the building administrator, student and parent will be held before bus privileges may be resumed. Step 5 is explained.
• 5th Report. The student is denied bus privileges for twenty (20) days. Step 6 is explained.
• 6th Report. The student is denied bus privileges for the remainder of the year. The parent is telephoned and the report is sent home.

A parent conference may be called at any time by the building administrator or Transportation Director should serious misconduct occur. The building administrator or Transportation Director has the authority to skip steps for serious violations or to repeat them if the misconduct is not a serious safety violation.

37.126. Disruption of Transportation

a) Except as provided by section 37.125, a person commits an offense if the person intentionally disrupts or interferes with the lawful transportation of children to or from school or an activity sponsored by a school on a vehicle owned or operated by a county or independent school district.

b) An offense under this section is a class C misdemeanor.

Click here to visit the Smart Tag for Parents page, which includes instructions on how to access the Smart Tag Parent Portal.

For bus stop information, please visit the Smart Tag for Parents page, which includes instructions on how to access the Smart Tag Parent Portal.

eLink – Cual es el numero de mi autobús y cual es mi parada?

VersaTrans eLink es un portal informativo de transportes que les da a los padres acceso a la información relacionada con el transporte de sus hijos. Como por ejemplo; el lugar donde sus hijos deberán esperar el autobús, el número y la hora en que el autobús de sus hijos llegara. Además, el personal de la escuela, incluyendo secretaria de asistencia y secretaria de la directora, pueden utilizar el eLink para dar información del autobús a los nuevos estudiantes. También la información es protegida por contraseña en el portal, y es solo para usuarios autorizados con acceso a información adecuada a su estatus y a sus necesidades.

NOTA: Cuando usted este ingresando a eLink por primera vez, necesitara una Identificación Familiar. Su identificación familiar es el número de teléfono principal con el que usted inscribió a su hijo. La identificación personal y la contraseña serán los mismos. Si usted no está seguro de que número de teléfono dio para inscribir a su hijo, por favor no dude en llamar al Departamento de Transportación al 281-604-7177.

Mi Parada –Quiero ver donde esta el autobús en un mapa con GPS.

Con VersaTrans My Stop, padres, personas a cargo y estudiantes saben exactamente donde su autobús escolar está localizado y a la hora que llagara a su destino. Todo esto lo puede realizar desde su teléfono móvil o algún otro método parecido.

My Stop muestra gráficamente la ubicación del autobús en un mapa, y también da una hora aproximada de cuando llegara a su parada (ETA). La ubicación del autobús es actualizada cada 5 segundos y la ETA se actualiza para verificar la hora de llegada en caso de retrasos causados por tráfico.

NOTA: Cuando usted este ingresando a eLink por primera vez, necesitara una Identificación Familiar. Su identificación familiar es el número de teléfono principal con el que usted inscribió a su hijo. La identificación personal y la contraseña serán los mismos. Si usted no está seguro de que número de teléfono dio para inscribir a su hijo, por favor no dude en llamar al Departamento de Transportación al 281-604-7177.

Bullying has made national and local headlines as several high-profile events have brought this issue into the spotlight. We in La Porte ISD take bullying very seriously since it negatively affects our students.

Unfortunately, bullying affects millions of students on a daily basis. Sometimes people dismiss bullying as just a normal part of growing up; however, bullying is harmful and can result in students being afraid.

La Porte ISD is not immune to bullying. Administrators and staff are working together to provide a safe environment for all students. We do need your help. We ask parents to talk to their children to help them understand the negative impact of bullying and how to prevent it. Please let them know how important it is to tell you or another adult if he/she is being bullied. We also ask that parents share with their children that you will not tolerate it if they bully another person.

If you see signs of bullying or have questions, please contact your child’s school counselor so that steps can be taken to eliminate bullying on campus or at after school activities.

Our priority is your child’s safety and well-being so that he/she can have the best possible educational experience.

Parent Resources Concerning Bullying:

• The SEARCH Institute website at: www.parentfurther.com/
• Mental Health Association website at www.nmha.org/go/bullying
• The Department of Health and Human Services website at:http://www.stopbullying.gov/
• The Cartoon Network website at: http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/promos/stopbullying/index.html
• The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry website at: http://www.aacap.org/aacap/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Bullying_Resource_Center/Home.aspx 

Parent Resources Targeting Cyberbullying:

• Internet Solutions for Kids -- http://www.cyberbully411.org/
• ConnectSafely –http://www.connectsafely.org/
• Digizen– http://www.digizen.org/
• NetSmartz – http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents
• SafeKids.com Online Safety & Civility – http://www.safekids.com/

Definition of Bullying

Bullying is defined by state law as engaging in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or physical conduct that occurs on school property, at a school-sponsored or school-related activity, or in a vehicle operated by the district and that:

(1) Has the effect or will have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person or of damage to the student's property; or

(2) Is sufficiently severe, persistent and pervasive enough that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment for a student.

[Act of June 17, 2011, 82th Leg., R.S., H.B. 1942, § 7 (to be codified at Texas Education Code § 37.0832)]

Conduct is considered bullying if it (1) exploits an imbalance of power between the student perpetrator and the student victim through written or verbal expression or physical conduct; and (2) interferes with a student's education or substantially disrupts the operation of a school.

[Act of June 17, 2011, 82th Leg., R.S., H.B. 1942, § 7 (to be codified at Texas Education Code § 37.0832)]

Elissa Rice
Director, Transportation

Elena Reynaga
Secretary to Transportation, Maintenance & Operations

Belinda Chapa
Supervisor, Field Trips and Training

Samantha Pugh
Supervisor, Discipline and Safety

Nat Bata
Supervisor, Transportation Shop