Bus Discipline Procedures

Bus Discipline Procedures (BP/AR 5131.1)

Progressive Action for Student Discipline

To ensure safety, consistency, and accountability on the school bus, the PUSD Transportation Department has adopted the following steps of progressive action. These guidelines will be used to enforce student conduct and bus rules. The following measures may be implemented:

For most violations, discipline follows a progressive sequence. However, staff maintain the latitude to increase or decrease these measures based on the severity of the offense, and behavioral patterns.

Safety Note: If a student's behavior creates an immediate danger to persons or property, they may be immediately suspended from ridership.

Offense	Corrective Measure
1st Offense	Formal Warning
2nd Offense	Lunch or Afterschool Detention
3rd Offense	5-Day Bus Suspension
4th Offense	10-Day Bus Suspension
5th Offense	40-Day Bus Suspension
6th Offense	Suspension for the remainder of the school year

Bus Pass Violations (AR 3250.1 & 3250.2)

While these violations are managed separately from behavioral issues they follow the same progressive disciplinary scale.

Types of Pass Violations

• Unauthorized Use: This includes using passes that are expired, stolen, or found. It also covers forged passes.
• Fraud: This involves using fake single-ride tickets or actively altering a temporary or permanent pass.
• Sharing: Both the student who loans the pass and the student who borrows it are subject to discipline.

Enforcement Rules

The "Prima Facie" Rule
If a student is caught with a pass that does not belong to them, the school considers that immediate evidence of improper possession. The burden of proof essentially shifts to the student to explain why they have it.

Recovery of Confiscated Passes

If a pass is confiscated because it was loaned out:

1. It is sent to the Transportation Department Office.
2. It will not be handed back to the student at school.
3. A parent and the student must schedule a formal appointment at the office to reclaim it.

Impacts

• Accelerated Discipline: Similar to standard behavior issues, pass violations can "skip" steps in the disciplinary ladder depending on how serious the fraud was.
• Refund Policy: If a violation is severe enough to result in a bus suspension for the rest of the school year, the school will issue a prorated refund to the parent for the unused portion of the pass.