1. a. The board of directors in every school district shall provide transportation, either
directly or by reimbursement for transportation, for all resident pupils attending public
school, kindergarten through twelfth grade, except that:
(1)Elementary pupils shall be entitled to transportation only if they live more than two
miles from the school designated for attendance.
(2)High school pupils shall be entitled to transportation only if they live more than three
miles from the school designated for attendance.
(3)Children attending prekindergarten programs offered or sponsored by the district or
nonpublic school and approved by the department of education or department of health and
human services or children participating in preschool in an approved local program under
chapter 256C ma
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1. a. The board of directors in every school district shall provide transportation, either
directly or by reimbursement for transportation, for all resident pupils attending public
school, kindergarten through twelfth grade, except that:
(1) Elementary pupils shall be entitled to transportation only if they live more than two
miles from the school designated for attendance.
(2) High school pupils shall be entitled to transportation only if they live more than three
miles from the school designated for attendance.
(3) Children attending prekindergarten programs offered or sponsored by the district or
nonpublic school and approved by the department of education or department of health and
human services or children participating in preschool in an approved local program under
chapter 256C may be provided transportation services. However, transportation services
provided to nonpublic school children are not eligible for reimbursement under this chapter.
(4) Districts are not required to maintain seating space on school buses for students who
are otherwise to be provided transportation under this subsection if the students do not or
will not regularly utilize the district’s transportation service for extended periods during the
school year. The student, or the student’s parent or legal guardian if the student is less than
eighteen years of age, shall be notified by the district before transportation services may be
suspended, and the suspension may continue until the student, or the student’s parent or
legal guardian, notifies the district that regular student ridership will continue.
b. For the purposes of this subsection, “high school” means a school which commences
with either grade nine or grade ten, as determined by the board of directors of the school
districtorbythegoverningauthorityofthenonpublicschoolinthecaseofnonpublicschools.
c. Boards in their discretion may provide transportation for some or all resident pupils
attending public school or pupils who attend nonpublic schools who are not entitled to
transportation. Boards in their discretion may collect from the parent or guardian of the
pupil not more than the pro rata cost for such optional transportation, determined as
provided in subsection 12.
2. Any pupil may be required to meet a school bus on the approved route a distance of not
to exceed three-fourths of a mile without reimbursement.
3. In a district where transportation by school bus is impracticable, where necessary to
implement a whole grade sharing agreement under section 282.10, or where school bus
service is not available, the board may require parents or guardians to furnish transportation
for their children to the schools designated for attendance. Except as provided in section
285.3, the parent or guardian shall be reimbursed for such transportation service for public
and nonpublic school pupils by the board of the resident district in an amount equal to
eighty dollars plus seventy-five percent of the difference between eighty dollars and the
previous school year’s statewide average per pupil transportation cost, as determined by the
department of education. However, a parent or guardian shall not receive reimbursement
for furnishing transportation for more than three family members who attend elementary
school and one family member who attends high school.
4. In all districts where unsatisfactory roads or other conditions make it advisable, the
board at its discretion may require the parents or guardians of public and nonpublic school
pupils to furnish transportation for their children up to two miles to connect with vehicles of
transportation. The parents or guardians shall be reimbursed for such transportation by the
boards of the resident districts at the rate of twenty-eight cents per mile per day, one way, per
family for the distance from the pupil’s residence to the bus route.
5. Where transportation by school bus is impracticable or not available or other existing
conditions warrant it, arrangements may be made for use of common carriers according to
uniform standards established by the director of the department of education and at a cost
based upon the actual cost of service and approved by the board.
6. When the school designated for attendance of pupils is engaged in the transportation
of pupils, the sending or designating school shall use these facilities and pay the pro rata
cost of transportation except that a district sending pupils to another school may make
other arrangements when it can be shown that such arrangements will be more efficient and
economical than to use facilities of the receiving school, providing such arrangements are
approved by the board of the area education agency.
7. If a local board closes either elementary or high school facilities and is approved by the
board of the area education agency to operate its own transportation equipment, the full cost
of transportation shall be paid by the board for all pupils living beyond the statutory walking
distance from the school designated for attendance.
8. Transportation service may be suspended upon any day or days, due to inclemency of
the weather, conditions of roads, or the existence of other conditions, by the board of the
school district operating the buses, when in their judgment it is deemed advisable and when
the school or schools are closed to all children.
9. Distancetoschoolortoabusrouteshallinallcasesbemeasuredonthepublichighway
only and over the most passable and safest route as determined by the area education agency
board, starting in the roadway opposite the private entrance to the residence of the pupil and
ending in the roadway opposite the entrance to the school grounds or designated point on
bus route.
10. The board in any district providing transportation for nonresident pupils shall collect
the pro rata cost of transportation from the district of pupil’s residence for all properly
designated pupils so transported.
11. Boards in districts operating buses may transport nonresident pupils who attend
publicschool, kindergartenthroughjuniorcollege, whoarenotentitledtofreetransportation
provided they collect the pro rata cost of transportation from the parents.
12. The pro rata cost of transportation shall be based upon the actual cost for all the
children transported in all school buses. It shall include one-seventh of the original net cost
of the bus and other items as determined and approved by the director of the department of
educationbutnopartofthecapitaloutlaycostforschoolbusesandtransportationequipment
for which the school district is reimbursed from state funds or that portion of the cost of the
operation of a school bus used in transporting pupils to and from extracurricular activities
shall be included in determining the pro rata cost. In a district where, because of unusual
conditions, the cost of transportation is in excess of the actual operating cost of the bus route
usedtofurnishtransportationtononresidentpupils, theboardofthelocaldistrictmaycharge
a cost equal to the cost of other schools supplying such service to that area, upon receiving
approval of the director of the department of education.
13. When a local board fails to pay transportation costs due to another school for
transportation service rendered, the board of the creditor corporation shall file a sworn
statement with the area education agency board specifying the amount due. The agency
board shall check such claim and if the claim is valid shall certify to the county auditor.
The auditor shall transmit to the county treasurer an order directing the county treasurer to
transfer the amount of such claim from the funds of the debtor corporation to the creditor
corporation and the treasurer shall pay the same accordingly.
14. Resident pupils attending a nonpublic school located either within or without the
school district of the pupil’s residence shall be entitled to transportation on the same basis
as provided for resident public school pupils under this section. The public school district
providing transportation to a nonpublic school pupil shall determine the days on which bus
service is provided, which shall be based upon the days for which bus service is provided to
public school pupils, and the public school district shall determine bus schedules and routes.
In the case of nonpublic school pupils the term “school designated for attendance” means
the nonpublic school which is designated for attendance by the parents of the nonpublic
school pupil.
15. If the nonpublic school designated for attendance is located within the public school
district in which the pupil is a resident, the pupil shall be transported to the nonpublic school
designated for attendance as provided in this section.
16. a. If the nonpublic school designated for attendance of a pupil is located outside the
boundary line of the school district of the pupil’s residence, the pupil may be transported by
the district of residence to a public school or other location within the district of the pupil’s
residence. Apublicschooldistrictinwhichanonpublicschoolislocatedmayestablishschool
bus collection locations within its district from which nonresident nonpublic school pupils
may be transported to and from a nonpublic school located in the district. If a pupil receives
such transportation, the district of the pupil’s residence shall be relieved of any requirement
to provide transportation.
b. As an alternative to paragraph “a” of this subsection, subject to section 285.9,
subsection 3, where practicable, and at the option of the public school district in which a
nonpublic school pupil resides, the school district may transport a nonpublic school pupil
to a nonpublic school located outside the boundary lines of the public school district if the
nonpublic school is located in a school district contiguous to the school district which is
transporting the nonpublic school pupils, or may contract with the contiguous public school
district in which a nonpublic school is located for the contiguous school district to transport
the nonpublic school pupils to the nonpublic school of attendance within the boundary lines
of the contiguous school district.
c. If the nonpublic school designated for attendance of a pupil is located outside the
boundary line of the school district of the pupil’s residence and the district of residence
meets the requirements of subsections 14, 15, and this subsection by using subsection 17,
paragraph “c”, and the district in which the nonpublic school is located is contiguous to the
district of the pupil’s residence and is willing to provide transportation under subsection
17, paragraph “a” or “b”, the district in which the nonpublic school is located may provide
transportation services, subject to section 285.9, subsection 3, and may make the claim for
reimbursement under section 285.2. The district in which the nonpublic school is located
shall notify the district of the pupil’s residence that it is making the claim for reimbursement,
and the district of the pupil’s residence shall be relieved of the requirement for providing
transportation and shall not make a claim for reimbursement for those nonpublic school
pupils for which a claim is filed by the district in which the nonpublic school is located.
17. The public school district may meet the requirements of subsections 14 through 16 by
any of the following:
a. Transportation in a school bus operated by a public school district.
b. Contracting with private parties as provided in section 285.5. However, contracts shall
not provide payment in excess of the average per pupil transportation costs of the school
district for that year.
c. Utilizing the transportation reimbursement provision of subsection 3.
d. Contracting with a contiguous public school district to transport resident nonpublic
school pupils the entire distance from the nonpublic pupil’s residence to the nonpublic school
located in the contiguous public school district or from the boundary line of the public school
district to the nonpublic school.
18. The director of the department of education may review all transportation
arrangements to see that they meet all legal and established uniform standard requirements.
19. Transportation authorized by this chapter is exempt from all laws of this state
regulating common carriers.
20. Transportation for which the pro rata cost or other charge is collected shall not be
providedoutsidethestateofIowaexceptinaccordancewithrulesadoptedbythedepartment
of education in accordance with chapter 17A. The rules shall take into account any applicable
federal requirements.
21. Boards in districts operating buses may in their discretion transport senior citizens,
children, persons with disabilities, and other persons and groups, who are not otherwise
entitled to free transportation, and shall collect the pro rata cost of transportation.
Transportation under this subsection shall not be provided when the school bus is being used
to transport pupils to or from school unless the board determines that such transportation is
desirable and will not interfere with or delay the transportation of pupils.
22. Notwithstanding subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (1), a parent or guardian
of an elementary pupil entitled to transportation pursuant to subsection 1, may request that a
child care facility be designated for purposes of subsection 9 rather than the residence of the
pupil. The request shall be submitted for a period of time of at least one semester and may
not be submitted more than twice during a school year.