Or. Admin. R. 581-053-0230 - Rules Pertaining to School Bus Drivers
(1) The driver shall report as soon as
possible to the proper official any deficiency or malfunction of any equipment
or component of the vehicle.
(2)
The driver shall not transport students unless the vehicle is safe to
operate.
(3) School bus drivers
shall observe all local and state traffic laws and ordinances.
(4) Drivers shall enforce local school board
and Oregon Department of Education rules governing pupils riding school
buses.
(5) Drivers shall observe
local school board and Oregon Department of Education rules pertaining to
school bus drivers.
(6) After
stopping at a railway crossing as required by law, the driver shall turn off
any noise-producing device with the exception of two-way radio communication.
The driver shall then open the bus entrance door and driver window, look and
listen for an approaching train, then close the door before proceeding across
the tracks.
(7) The driver shall
assist in conducting student instruction and evacuation drills as directed by
the transportation entity.
(8)
Drivers shall report to their employer(s) within 15 days:
(a) Any conviction for driving or criminal
offenses specified in OAR 581-053-0050.
(b) Any involvement in an accident.
(c) If their CDL is no longer
valid.
(9) A school bus
driver shall:
(a) Never drive backwards on the
school grounds prior to looking behind the bus, sounding the horn, and placing
a responsible person to guard the rear;
(b) Not leave the bus when pupils are in it
until the motor is shut off, the brakes set, a manual transmission put in gear
and the key removed from the ignition;
(c) Not disengage the clutch or have
transmission in neutral to allow the bus to coast;
(d) Stop to load or unload pupils only at
designated places;
(e) See that all
doors on the bus are kept closed while the bus is in motion;
(f) Bring the bus to a complete stop before
taking on or letting off pupils. Whenever possible the driver shall stop at a
place where the road may be clearly seen for several hundred feet in either
direction;
(g) Not permit anyone to
hang on or hitch onto the outside of the bus;
(h) Not use a school bus for any purpose
other than transporting pupils to and from schools or authorized school
activities;
(i) Not permit anyone
else to operate the bus or controls, except with the permission of
transportation entity or contractor;
(j) Not permit animals on the bus except
guide dogs and assistance animals from recognized programs that will be
accepted when accompanying blind, deaf, or physically impaired persons as
identified on an IEP. Guide/assistance animals or animals in training as
defined in ORS 346.680 are also accepted when
they comply with all the following:
(A) Are
enrolled and identified in an assistance animal training program registered
with and regulated by an appropriate county extension service or designated
state agency;
(B) Have a
comprehensive immunization record on file with the district;
(C) Are always clearly and distinctively
identified as an assistance animal in training;
(D) Are accompanied by the trainer identified
in district records;
(E) Continue
to demonstrate their ability to ride safely with students, posing no hazards or
distractions; and
(F) Comply with
any additional requirements and safeguards specified by the transportation
entity.
(k) Not permit
firearms or other weapons to be carried in the bus;
(l) Not operate the bus with a trailer
attached;
(m) Not fill the fuel
tank while pupils are in the bus or while the motor is running;
(n) Not transport any person who is not a
pupil, a teacher, or an official of the school while traveling the regular
route, unless authorized to do so by a authorized school official. School
officials may authorize other persons to ride in the school buses on special
occasions having to do with school affairs;
(o) Make certain that all aisles and
passageways are kept clear;
(p) Not
permit signs of any kind to be attached to the bus, except those specifically
permitted by law or regulation;
(q)
Report to school officials immediately when buses are overloaded as described
in OAR 581-053-0002 and ORS
820.180(1)(b);
(r) Stop the bus if any difficulty arises or
if disorder prevails in the bus making it unsafe to continue and not proceed
until the situation is remedied. Misconduct of pupils shall be reported to the
proper official;
(s) Not use
tobacco on the school bus and shall not permit passengers to use tobacco on the
bus;
(t) Not be under the influence
of any alcoholic beverage or any drug likely to affect the person's ability to
operate the vehicle safely while on duty; shall not consume an alcoholic
beverage, regardless of its alcoholic content or any drug likely to affect the
person's ability to operate the vehicle safely while on duty or within eight
hours before going on duty to operate a pupil transporting vehicle;
(u) Not allow pupils to leave the bus except
at their designated stop without the authorization of school
officials;
(v) Ensure students are
seated before putting the bus in motion;
(w) Complete any training required by the
Oregon Department of Education, transportation entity or contractor;
(x) Make written reports of accidents
involving the pupil-transporting vehicle to the Oregon Department of Education.
Reports shall be submitted within 72 hours of the accident. Drivers shall use
forms provided by ODE.
(y) Make
other reports as required by the transportation entity, the Oregon Department
of Education and the Motor Vehicles Division:
(z) Use all securement straps and attachments
for students with adaptive/assistive devices in a manner consistent with their
design;
(aa) Not transport pupils
seated on three-wheeled mobile seating devices.
(bb) Not use a cell phone, with or without a
hands free device, while operating a school bus unless summoning medical or
other emergency help if no other person in the vehicle is capable of summoning
help.
(cc) Not eat or drink while
operating the bus.
(dd) Not
transport students in three wheeled devices.
(ee) Not transport compressed oxygen unless:
(A) The capacity is less than or equal to 22
cubic feet;
(B) The tank is
certified and labeled as approved by the Department of
Transportation;
(C) The tank valve
and regulator are protected from breakage; and
(D) The tank is securely attached to avoid
being a hazard for students and away from intense heat.
(ff) Not transport liquid oxygen unless:
(A) The capacity is less than or equal to 23
cubic feet;
(B) The tank is
certified and labeled as approved by the Department of Transportation;
and
(C) The tank is securely
attached to avoid being a hazard for students and away from intense
heat.
(gg) Ensure that no
students are left unattended on the school bus after a route or activity
trip.
(10) Use of Bus
Safety Lights:
(a) When pupils must cross the
roadway to board, or after leaving the bus, the driver shall actuate the amber
flashing warning lights 100 to 300 feet before the stop. The driver shall stop
the bus in the right hand traffic lane. The red lights shall remain flashing
until all pupils have safely crossed the roadway;
(b) When pupils need not cross the roadway to
board, or after leaving the bus, the driver shall:
(A) When practicable, stop completely off the
main traveled portion of the roadway. The driver shall not actuate the bus
safety lights;
(B) Where it is not
practicable to stop completely off the main traveled portion of the roadway the
driver shall actuate the amber flashing warning lights 100 to 300 feet before
the stop. The driver shall stop the bus in the right-hand traffic lane. The red
lights shall remain flashing until pupils have safely boarded or left the
bus.
Notes
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 327.013 & 820.100 - 820.120
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 327.013, 820.100, 820.105, 820.110 & 820.120
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