1.

provide for the safety of students.

2.

supplement and reinforce desirable student behavior patterns.

3.

assist disabled students appropriately.

4.

enrich the instructional program through carefully planned field trips as recommended by the staff.

1.

"School transportation" means the procedure, program, or implemented plan by which a pupil is transported to and/or from school from his/her residence or the bus stop at public expense, whether by use of publicly owned equipment or by contract.  Such transportation shall be over public roads approved by the municipality or private roads approved pursuant to C.G.S. Section 10-220c.

2.

"Walking distance" means the linear measure of a prescribed or authorized pedestrian route between the pupil's residence and his/her school from a point at the curb or edge of a public or private road nearest the pupil's residence to a point at the entrance of the school, or a safe entrance to the school grounds located within one hundred feet of the school building entrance or the bus pick-up area, or the route from the point on the public thoroughfare nearest the residence to the school bus or vehicle embarkation point established by the Board of Education.

3

"One mile walking distance" means a reasonable measurement of a route to be traversed extending from the point of measurement at least 5,280 feet, but not more than 5,380 feet.

4.

"Grade K" means kindergarten, or a school program appropriate to a beginning pupil.

5.

"Hazard" means a thing or condition, as prescribed in this policy under "Hazardous Conditions" that affects the safety of pupils walking to and from school and/or a designated bus pick-up area.

6.

"Sidewalk" means a portion of the landscape right of way approximately three feet wide, usually parallel to the traffic lanes which may be paved or unpaved, and marked by curbing, drainage ditch, grass area or fencing; apart from and independent of any white line safety markings along the street pavement.

7.

"Raised walk area" means a portion of the landscape right of way approximately three feet wide, usually parallel to the traffic lanes which may be paved or unpaved, distinguished by some elevation above the street pavement level and marked by curbing, drainage ditch, grass area or fencing; apart from and independent of any painted safety markings along the street pavement.

8.

"Pupil" means any individual of school age enrolled in a public or nonprofit private school located within the school district or contiguous school district as the case may be.

1.

A street or road having an adjacent or parallel sidewalk or raised walk area shall be deemed hazardous when any one of the following conditions exist:

a.

For pupils under age ten, or enrolled in grades K through 3:

i.

the absence of a pedestrian crossing light or crossing guard where three or more streets intersect; OR

ii.

street crossings where there are no stop signs or crossing guards and the traffic count during the time that pupils are walking to or from school exceeds sixty vehicles per hour at the intersection.

b.

For pupils over age ten, or enrolled in grades 4 through 12, the absence of a traffic light or stop signs or crossing guard at an intersection where three or more streets intersect which has a traffic count which exceeds ninety vehicles per hour during the time that pupils are walking to or from school;

c.

For all pupils:

i.

any street, road, or highway with speed limits in excess of forty miles per hour which does not have pedestrian crossing lights or crossing guards or other safety provisions at points where pupils must cross when going to or from school or the bus stop; OR

ii.

the usual or frequent presence of any nuisance such as open man-holes, construction, snow plowed or piled on the walk area making walkways unusable, loading zones where delivery trucks are permitted to park on walkways, commercial entrances and exits where cars are crossing walking areas at speeds in excess of five miles per hour, and the like, including such nuisances which are hazardous or attractive to children.

2.

Any street, road, or highway that has no sidewalks or raised walk areas shall be deemed hazardous if any one of the following conditions exist:

a.

For pupils under age ten, or enrolled in grade K through 3:

i.

any street, road, or highway possessing a traffic count of sixty or more vehicles per hour at the time that pupils are walking to or from school; OR

ii.

any street, road, or highway possessing a speed limit in excess of thirty miles per hour.

b.

For all pupils:

i.

the presence of man-made hazards including attractive nuisances, as stated in 1(c)(ii) above; OR

ii.

any roadway available to vehicles that does not have a minimum width of approximately twenty-two feet; OR

iii.

any roadway available to vehicles that, when plowed free of snow accumulations, does not have a minimum width of approximately twenty feet; OR

iv.

any street, road, or highway where the line-of-sight visibility together with posted speed limits do not permit vehicular braking/stopping in accordance with the Connecticut Drivers Manual or Department of Transportation, Division of Design Standard, or other reasonable standard.

3.

Any walkway, path, or bridge in an area adjacent or parallel to railroad tracks shall be considered hazardous unless a suitable physical barrier along the entire pedestrian route is present and fixed between pupils and the track; and any crossing of railroad tracks carrying moving trains during hours that pupils are walking to or from school or to and from a designated bus pick-up area shall be deemed hazardous unless:

a.

a crossing guard is present; OR

b.

for pupil under age ten, an automatic control bar is present at crossings; OR

c.

for pupils over age ten, a bar or red flashing signal light is operational.

4.

For pupils in grades K through 4, the following conditions shall be deemed hazardous:

a.

a lake, pond, stream, culvert, water-way, or bridge shall be deemed a hazard in the absence of a fence or other suitable barrier fixed between the pupil and the water; OR

b.

any area adjacent to a roadway, sidewalk, or bridge having a drop of three or more feet per four feet of travel length on either side of the established lanes, in the absence of a fence or other suitable barrier.

5.

For pupils in grades K through 8, walking to or from school or the bus stop at any time prior to one-half hour before sunrise or any time one-half hour after sunset shall be deemed hazardous.

6.

For all students, walking along any street, road, walkway, sidewalk, or path designated as a walking route which passes through an area which has a history of aggressive acts of molestation resulting in actual or threatened physical harm or moral degradation during the hours when pupils ordinarily walk to or from school shall be deemed hazardous.

1.

This policy is applicable to private roads approved for passage of school transportation vehicles in accordance with C.G.S. Section 10-220c.

2.

Special Education pupils and pupils eligible for accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act shall be judged on an individual basis, and appropriate transportation provided.

3.

The Board of Education may grant an exception to any guideline set forth in this policy where a peculiar condition or combination or conditions renders such condition(s) a hazard based upon reasonable judgment; or where under the circumstances, other conditions exist under which the safety of students necessitates a variance with the guidelines within this policy.