Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 160-5-3-.17 - Use of Alternative Vehicles for the Transport of Students
(1)
DEFINITIONS.
(a)
Eight-Passenger Vehicles -
motor vehicles with a factory-designed maximum capacity of eight persons and
not less than five persons used to transport students to and from school and
school-related activities, where appropriate.
(b)
Governing Body - the local
board of education, governing board, or other entity responsible for the
governance and oversight of a Local Educational Agency.
(c)
Local Educational Agency
(LEA) - a public authority legally constituted by the state as an
administrative agency to provide control of and direction for kindergarten
through grade 12 public educational institutions.
(d)
Non-resident - a person who
has his or her permanent home or abode in a state other than Georgia.
(e)
Physician - a Doctor of
Medicine or osteopathy licensed by the Georgia Composite Medical Board pursuant
to Article 2, Chapter 34, Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated.
(f)
Resident - a person who has his or her permanent home or abode in
the state of Georgia.
(g)
Driver - a person who is an LEA employee or an employee or
subcontractor of a company contracted by the LEA, who has been appropriately
licensed and trained, and who controls the operation of an Eight-Passenger
Vehicle used in the transport of students.
(2)
REQUIREMENTS.
(a) The Governing Body shall ensure the
following qualifications are met by Drivers to provide transportation services:
1. All Drivers of Eight-Passenger vehicles
are at least 21 years of age.
2.
Evidence of a physical examination within 60 days prior to the date of
employment and conducted every three years thereafter. The physical examination
must be conducted by a Physician or his or her legally authorized designee to
whom the Physician delegated the authority to sign, certify, and endorse
documents or physical examination forms required by the State Board of
Education.
3. LEAs shall ensure
that resident and non-resident Drivers of Eight-Passenger Vehicles are properly
licensed, by their home state, to drive the vehicle used.
4. Prior to transporting students in
Eight-Passenger Vehicles, LEAs shall ensure all Drivers have satisfactorily
completed the Georgia Department of Education's (GaDOE) annual training program
or a training program approved by GaDOE on safe driving practices.
5. LEAs shall ensure a motor vehicle record
check is annually completed for each Driver.
6. All Drivers of Eight-Passenger Vehicles
must be placed in a drug and alcohol testing program. This testing program
shall be a separate program from those Drivers who hold a Commercial Driver's
License.
(i) Prior to transporting students,
all Drivers shall successfully complete a drug and alcohol test.
(ii) Following a completed pre-transportation
screening, all Drivers must:
(I) Be included
in a randomly selected pool for drug and alcohol testing to be completed a
minimum of four times annually; or
(II) Utilize live GPS and ride tracking
technologies during rides that allow for detection of unsafe driving behaviors,
including, but not limited to, device use, speeding, sudden acceleration, and
collision detection.
7. Fingerprinting and criminal background
checks as prescribed in O.C.G.A. §
20-2-211.1 shall be conducted on
all Drivers.
(b) The
Governing Body shall ensure the following vehicle regulations are met:
1. The Eight-Passenger Vehicle must be owned
or leased by the LEA or provided by the company with whom the LEA has
contracted to provide these transportation services.
2. The Eight-Passenger Vehicle must be marked
with the name of the LEA or the name of the company with whom the LEA has
contracted to provide these transportation services and have a sign stating
that the vehicle is used for "Student Transport".
3. The Eight-Passenger Vehicle must have an
age of less than 10 years from the date of manufacture and no more than 200,000
miles.
4. Routine maintenance on
all Eight-Passenger Vehicles shall be conducted at the manufacturer's
recommended service intervals. All Eight-Passenger Vehicles shall be inspected
at intervals based on the requirements for commercial vehicles set forth by the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration using an inspection form provided
or approved by GaDOE.
Notes
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No prior version found.