|  | | Important Questions About Safety | | Important questions about student transportation safety that are frequently asked by parents and the public.
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It is illegal for a car to pass a stopped school bus?I saw a car pass a stopped school bus. What will happen?Does the Transportation Department check bus drivers license information?Are background checks conducted on bus drivers?Does the School District conduct any additional background checks?Are School Bus Drivers Tested for Alcohol or Drugs?Does the District monitor how school bus drivers operate their buses?Are School Bus Inspected?Do drivers have to check buses after routes?Do all buses have cameras?I had my child checked by the doctor after his bus was hit by a car how do I have this paid?Are drivers and students allowed to smoke on buses?It is illegal for a car to pass a stopped school bus?
 Minnesota Statute 169.444 requires that all traffic stop for a school bus displaying red lights and extended stop arm, commonly referred to as making an eight-light stop. Failure to stop for a school bus making an eight-light stop is a misdemeanor. Failure to stop for a school bus making an eight light stop with students boarding or leaving the school bus, in the street, or on the curb is a gross misdemeanor which is punishable by up to a $3,000 fine and/or a year in jail. |
I saw a car pass a stopped school bus. What will happen?
 Minnesota Statutes require that all motorists stop for a school bus displaying flashing red lights and extended stop arm. If a school bus driver has a motorist illegally pass his/her stopped school bus the driver submits a complaint to the Saint Paul Police Department on a School Bus Traffic Violation Form. The motorist is notified of the complaint and afforded an opportunity to explain their actions. The majority of School Bus Traffic Violation complaints result in a citation being issued to the motorist. |
Does the Transportation Department check bus drivers license information?
 The Transportation Department has on line access to drivers license information and conducts checks of the record of all school bus drivers at least four scheduled times per year. Department staff also conduct additional license checks whenever a school bus driver has contact with a District Street Supervisor, or is involved in an incident or accident. |
Are background checks conducted on bus drivers?
 The Commercial Vehicle Section of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety submits the names of all school bus drivers to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation upon initial licensing as a school bus driver and upon each two year renewal of the school bus endorsement. Applicants who have convictions for disqualifying offenses under Minnesota Statutes and Department of Public Safety Rules are denied a school bus endorsement. Applicants who have resided outside of the State of Minnesota within the previous five years are required to submit to a background record check with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. |
Does the School District conduct any additional background checks?
 Under Minnesota Statute 13.87, data on criminal convictions is public for 15 years following the completion of the sentence. Public information includes: offense, date of the offense, court of conviction, date of the conviction, sentence, level of conviction and probation agency or place of confinement. The public information does not include an individual's arrest history. Private data includes all arrest information, all juvenile records, and all court information and convictions more than 15 years old.
The Transportation Department conducts a criminal background on all drivers check through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) at least two times per year. However, because current Minnesota BCA Policy limits the access of school districts to convictions that are 15 years or newer without a written release from the subject, the school district relies on the Driver and Vehicle Services Division to conduct the primary background check for older convictions. |
Are School Bus Drivers Tested for Alcohol or Drugs?
 School buses are commercial vehicles under National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Rules. All operators of commercial vehicles, as defined in Federal Regulations, are considered to be performing safety sensitive functions when operating the commercial vehicle and are subject to the requirements or Part 49, Code of Federal regulations, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Rules for testing for alcohol and controlled substances. Commercial drivers are subject to pre-employment testing for controlled substances and to random, incident, and post accident testing for the presence of alcohol and controlled substances.
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Does the District monitor how school bus drivers operate their buses?
 The Transportation Safety staff are responsible for monitoring the compliance of District employed and contract school bus drivers with Minnesota Traffic Statutes and District policies and contract requirements. District safety staff monitor drivers by the use of traffic radar, and traffic lidar (laser) equipment. Mobile video equipment interfaced with the traffic radar documents observations. |
Are School Bus Inspected?
 Each school bus is inspected:
Annually and on random occasions by the Minnesota State Patrol
By the school bus driver prior to each route sequence
By trained mechanics during scheduled preventative maintenance
On random occasions by Transportation Department Street Supervisors
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Do drivers have to check buses after routes?
 Each school bus driver must do a walk through inspection from the front to the rear of the school bus at the end of each individual AM, Noon, or PM trip, or field trip segment to or from an elementary school, to ensure that no sleeping children remain on the school bus and to check for vandalism. The school bus driver must also conduct a walk through inspection from the front to the rear of the school bus upon leaving the school bus for any reason. During the walk through inspection the drive must check all seats, as well as the floor under each seating position.
Whenever the driver leaves the bus for any reason he/she shall place a placard in the rear window of the bus with the word EMPTY in large letters to indicate that the bus has been checked as outlined above.
Effective December 1, 2003, each school bus used on a route or field trip must be equipped with an automatic electronic child check system which requires the driver to walk to the rear of the school bus and perform a specific action, such as pushing a button, prior to leaving the school bus. The electronic child check systems are activated by turning off the school bus engine and are designed to force the driver to walk the aisle and check for sleeping children every time the school bus is parked. Failure to walk to the rear of the school bus and push the button, or perform another specific action, will result in the school bus horn sounding. |
Do all buses have cameras?
 Over ten years ago, the Saint Paul Public Schools was one of the first school districts in Minnesota to install video camera capability in all District own and contracted buses assigned to to and from school routes.
All District owned and contracted school buses are equipped with a District owned Honeywell Silent Witness ® camera housing that has the capability of hosting a video camera. Cameras are placed on routes that are experiencing instances of unacceptable student conduct as well as routes which are selected randomly. |
I had my child checked by the doctor after his bus was hit by a car how do I have this paid?
 Minnesota Statute 65B.47 sets the priority of insurance coverage for payment of medical bills related to a motor vehicle crash. The first priority for the payment of medical bills for an injury which occurred on a vehicle being used to transport children to school or to a school-sponsored activity rests with the security (insurance) under which the injured party is an insured, i.e. the no fault automobile insurance covering the parents vehicle.
 Minnesota Statute 65B.47, Priority of applicability of security for payment of basic economic loss benefits.
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Are drivers and students allowed to smoke on buses?
 Minnesota Statute 144.4165 prohibits the use of any tobacco product in any facility which is owned or leased to a school, or a school district, or in any vehicle which is owned or leased by a school or school district, including school buses under contract to a school or school district.
The Board of Education of Independent School District No. 625 has adopted a comprehensive smoking policy that is applicable to all District facilities and District owned or leased property. In accordance with this policy, no driver employed on any Saint Paul Public School route, field/athletic trip, or other transportation service, may utilize a tobacco product of any kind while transporting students or staff.
The use of a tobacco product of any kind is also prohibited while in any District facility or while on any District owned or leased property. This includes the streets surrounding a District owned or leased facility, and the school bus loading zones at each school. Violation of this policy will result in the suspension or removal of the violating driver from service to the School District.
Each school bus driver is required to enforce the District Smoking Policy by prohibiting the use of tobacco products by all students or staff on the school bus and by reporting the name of any student(s) or staff found to be using tobacco products in writing to the school principal on a District Incident Report Form. Any driver who is not in compliance with these requirements will be subject to dismissal from further service for the School District.
Minnesota Statutes 144.4165.pdf
Minnesota Statute 144.4165 prohibits tobacco products in public schools. The statute is in PDF format
419.00_Policy.pdf
Board of Education Policy 419.00 prohibits the use of tobacco products in school facilities, on school property, and at school sponsored functions and events. The policy is in PDF format.
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