TRANSPORTATION REGISTRATION FORM (RESIDENT PUBLIC/PRIVATE) - Due August 1

All eligible students entering grades K-12 in a public or private school who are planning to ride a bus must register for service. We can optimize school bus route planning if we know which students will actually ride.

Bus transportation is available to:

• Elementary school students (grades K-4) who live more than 0.75 mile from school 
• Middle school students (grades 5-8) who live more than 1 mile from school 
• High school students (grades 9-12) who live more than 2 miles from school

Students will not be listed for bus service in the fall unless the Transportation Office receives a completed registration form on or before August 1. Forms received after August 1 will be put on hold. Students may not have bus service for the first two weeks of school or may be transported home by van (elementary) or asked to use the Academic/Activity Bus (middle and high school) until they are assigned to a route. Transportation requests received after the first two weeks of school will be processed within 2-3 business days. Please only register for service when you are sure your child will be riding a bus. Complete one form per child.

Postcards with bus information will be mailed in late August. If you do not receive a postcard, your student is not eligible or registered to use district busing. By registering your student for transportation services you are agreeing to comply with our transportation policies and procedures. The transportation policies can be found on the School District 197 website under School Board – Policy Manual (policies 707, 708, 709). Please note, all students (grades K-12) are dropped off at their stop location regardless of whether or not a parent/guardian is present. Parents should be at the stop 5 minutes in advance of the scheduled time and wait at the stop until the bus arrives. If you have questions, please call Transportation at 651-403-8320. 

TRANSPORTATION REGISTRATION (NON-RESIDENT)
When students are approved to attend a District 197 school, transportation may be provided under the following conditions:

• The student has registered for transportation during the time of enrollment at their school or a paper/electronic form that is mailed to the transportation department. The student’s residence must be located outside the district walk area guidelines.
• Students must utilize an existing stop on an established bus route (The stop location could be a mile or more inside our district boundary). No rerouting of the bus will be provided.
• There must be an open available seat on the bus to transport all students safely.
• Starting August 1st all students that reside within the district boundary and have registered for a bus, will be assigned a bus route. Any available seats will then be assigned to registered non-resident students in the order their registration was received.
• It is the parent/ guardian’s responsibility to provide for their student’s safety while traveling to and from their assigned bus stop.
• All students grades K-12 will be dropped off at their stop location whether or not parents/guardians are present (parents should be at the stop 5 minutes in advance of the scheduled time and wait at the stop until the bus arrives.)

FEE FOR TRANSPORTATION SERVICE (PUBLIC/PRIVATE) - Due August 1
School District 197 offers a fee-based transportation option to all students in grades K-12 who are attending public or private school and live within district walk boundaries. Students may still walk to school, however they also have a choice to ride a bus for the full school year or seasonally (November 15-April 15) for a fee.

Full Year = $235 per year, per student
Seasonal = $117 per year, per student
Family cap = $470

Families receiving free or reduced-price services can request this service and receive a 50% fee waiver ($117 per year per student or $58 per student seasonal, family cap of $235).

The Fee for Transportation Service is an option for students in: 

• Grades K-4 who live .75 mile or less from school
  
• Grades 5-8 who live 1 mile or less from school
  
• Grades 9-12 who live 2 miles or less from school

Forms and payment must be received by August 1. Students will be placed on a bus on a space available basis. Families will receive a full refund if their child is not placed on a bus route. No refunds will be given if a student is suspended from riding privileges for discipline infractions, or in the event that a student is placed on a route, but service is not fully utilized.

Forms received after August 1 will be put on hold until after the first two weeks of school and space availability on buses is known. Complete one form per child.

Postcards with bus information will be mailed to homes in late August (October for seasonal riders). If you have questions about registration, please call Transportation at 651-403-8320.