SECTION 210:30-5-5. Transportation routes and boundaries

(a)   Evaluation. All school bus routes shall be evaluated annually for safety and efficiency by the local school district supervisor of transportation or designee.

(b)   Transportation areas and boundaries. A high school transportation area is that part of an elementary district that has been assigned to an independent district for the purpose of providing transportation to those students whose resident district does not offer the grade they are entitled to pursue.

(1)   An independent school district assigned a high school transportation area by the State Department of Education has the duty to provide transportation to students residing in the transportation area who are entitled to pursue a grade not offered in the students' resident district, and who are enrolled in the independent district. The transportation service in the high school transportation area shall be consistent with the transportation policies of the independent district.

(2)   An independent district loading and unloading students in its assigned transportation area shall confine its transportation program within the elementary district to only those students who are residents of the elementary district entitled to pursue a grade not offered in their resident district, and who are enrolled in the independent district.

(3)   An independent district may not load and unload students in an elementary district whose resident district does offer the grade they are entitled to pursue, unless the boards of education of both school districts approve such transportation.

(4)   A change in transportation area made after July 1 of each year, will not become effective until the next July 1, unless all boards of education affected agree to the proposed change.

(5)   An elementary area that has been assigned to a high school transportation area may be changed to another high school transportation area by mutual agreement, in writing, by the boards of education of the independent school districts and the approval of the State Board of Education.

(6)   A part or all of an elementary school district that is isolated from the remainder of the school district's transportation area because of topography or previous annexations to another high school district may be changed from one high school district's transportation area to another high school district's transportation area if the State Board of Education determines the change should be made on the basis of good administration.

(7)   When an elementary school district is surrounded by an independent school district, that district must be designated as the transportation area for the high school students.

(8)   An independent school district's transportation route may extend into an elementary school district's territory to pick up students whose grade is not offered in the elementary school district and who have transferred into the independent district. An independent district extending its routes into an elementary district in this manner must notify the elementary district of its intent, and must also notify any independent district which is assigned a transportation area in which the district wishing to provide voluntary transportation to elementary district residents intends to load and unload students. Approval by the boards of education of the elementary and assigned independent districts is not required for an independent district to provide voluntary transportation to its own enrolled students who are residents of the elementary district. Nothing in this section should be interpreted to permit an independent district to load or unload students whose resident district does offer the grade they are entitled to pursue, even if a sibling qualifies for such transportation.

(9)   A district not mandated by the State Department of Education to transport students in a high school transportation area, but which chooses to do so, must transport all students who reside in the transportation area who:

(A)   Are entitled to pursue a grade not offered in their resident district; and

(B)   Have transferred pursuant to 70 O.S. § 8-101 into the independent district offering voluntary transportation.

(10)   A district which voluntarily provides transportation to its own enrolled students who are residents of an elementary district must agree to continue the transportation arrangement until students served under the arrangement graduate. If such a district chooses to discontinue its voluntary transportation service, it may refuse to add any new students to its voluntary transportation list, but must continue to transport those already served.

(11)   An independent school district may cross a portion of another district for the purpose of loading and unloading students whose resident district does not provide the grade the students are entitled to pursue, provided the doors of the school bus are kept closed and the transporting district notifies the district(s) its bus(es) will pass through.

(c)   Petition for changing boundary lines.

(1)   A majority of the school district electors in an elementary district, as defined at 70 O.S. § 7-101, may petition the State Board of Education for an election to change any part or all of a district from one transportation area to another. The board of education of the district(s) receiving the proposed change in transportation area must first approve the language of the petition.

(2)   The State Board of Education will approve a convenient date for an election, supply ballots, and send a representative to assist with the election.

(3)   If fifty-one percent (51%) of all such legal voters in the district vote for the change, the election makes a good recommendation to the State Board of Education.

(d)   Changing areas, high school districts discontinued. High school districts and/or elementary school districts that must be placed in one or more high school transportation area or areas because a high school has been discontinued may be placed in a transportation area or areas on the following basis:

(1)   All or part of District "A" may be placed in the transportation area of high school District "B", the transportation area of which is not adjacent to District "A", provided high school District "C", which has a transportation area that separates District "A" from District "B" transportation area, appears to be in jeopardy of being discontinued itself, and provided the number of people in District "A", who want to be placed in the transportation area of District "B", justifies such an arrangement. People in District "A" requesting these arrangements to enable them to annex to District "B" will be given much more consideration than those desiring to transfer only.

(2)   No portion of a school district that is adjacent to a high school district's transportation area, but is separated from the high school area by a natural barrier, will be placed in the high school district's transportation area unless or until there is a road connecting the two (2) areas that is maintained in a manner that will justify the operation of a school bus over the road across the barrier.

[Source: Added at 30 Ok Reg 1047, eff 6-27-13; Amended at 32 Ok Reg 923, eff 8-27-15]