Board of Education

School District of South Orange and Maplewood

525 Academy Street, Maplewood, NJ 07040

PUBLIC SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

APPLICATION FORM

2012-2013 School Year

ELIGIBILITY

The Board of Education is required under N.J.S.A. 18A:39-1 to provide round trip transportation between home and school for South Orange and Maplewood resident elementary students (grades K-8) who live more than 2 miles from their assigned school and secondary students (grades 9-12) who live more than 2.5 miles from their assigned school.

Elementary and Middle Schools

Students are generally assigned to attend a school near their home and are not eligible for transportation. The district may assign a student to attend a school outside of his or her home area for a specific reason, such as the pairing of Jefferson and Marshall or to receive a service or program offered only at another school. If the district makes the assignment and the school attended is more than one mile from the student's home, the student is eligible for transportation as long as he or she continues to receive the service or remains in the program. A Public School Transportation Application Form must be submitted each year for all eligible students.

A shuttle bus service is provided between South Mountain and the Annex. Kindergarten and first grade students in the South Mountain area walk to South Mountain and are shuttled to the Annex. Students in grades 2-5 have the option to walk to the Annex and ride the shuttle to South Mountain. Seats on the shuttle bus are limited. Students expecting to ride the shuttle bus must submit a Public School Transportation Application Form each year for all eligible students.

In certain circumstances, a parent or guardian may request that a student transfer to a school outside his or her home area. The district may approve the parent or guardian's transfer request for school assignment, but the district will not provide transportation.

Columbia High School

The following South Orange addresses are more than 2.5 miles away from CHS and eligible for transportation by N.J.S.A. 18A:39-1:

Brentwood Drive / All / Hill Drive / All
Crest Drive / House #74 up / Hoskier Road / All
Crestwood Drive / All / Longview Road / House #608 up
Duffield Drive / House #76 up / Mountain Drive / All
Glenview Road / House #76 up / Woods Drive North / All
Great Hills Drive / All

Columbia High School students residing at these addresses who wish to use the school bus must submit a Public School Transportation Application Form each year for all eligible students.

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Special Education

Classified special education students may be eligible for transportation according to their Individualized Education Program (IEP). Please contact the Special Services Department at 973-762-5600 for arrangements and additional information.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The parent or guardian must complete the attached Application Form each year for each student. Eligible students will not receive a Bus Pass until the Form is completed and submitted by the due date to your School’s Office, the Transportation Department or the Registration Office. Please provide an Emergency Contact and Emergency Phone.

Public School Transportation Application Forms must be received by June 15, 2012

Applications received after June 15th will be assigned transportation if eligible and only if space is available. The deadline to submit applications will be extended after June 15th only for students to attend the Demonstration School at Seth Boyden. The process to apply for transportation will be provided when notified of the acceptance to the program.

The district will notify the parent/guardian of eligibility over the summer before school opens. New students registered during the school year will be notified within five working days after the Transportation Department receives the application. The parent or guardian is responsible for getting the child to school until notified in writing whether transportation by the district is available.

Students eligible for transportation will receive a Bus Pass card identifying the assigned stop and estimated pickup and drop-off times. The student must have this Bus Pass card available to show the bus driver.

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PUBLIC SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

APPLICATION FORM

Student Name: ______

Parent or Guardian: ______Home Phone: ______

Address: ______City: ______

Emergency Contact: ______Emergency Phone:

Name of School Attending: ______Grade for Coming Year: _ _

Bus Stop Assigned 11-12: ______

Date: ______Signature: ______

Please detach this form and return to the Main Office of your school or mail directly to:

School District of South Orange and Maplewood

Transportation Office

25 W. Parker Avenue

Maplewood, NJ 07040