1.     All school principals shall implement reasonable rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of school buses in accordance with the General Statutes of North Carolina.  All bus routes will be on file in the Superintendent’s office and all changes will be filed within 10 days after such changes become effective.

2.     The following guidelines offer a reasonable approach in establishing a rather uniform routing procedure:

a.     The same general rules should apply in every area of the county in connection with the transportation of students to and from school who live within a radius of 1.5 miles of the school to which they are assigned.  Unless mandated for safety reasons, as reviewed by the Director of Transportation, students shall not be transported when residence is within a radius of 1.5 miles of the school to which they are assigned.

b.    School bus stops should be routed at least 0.2 of a mile apart unless otherwise mandated by the Wayne County Board of Education.

c.     The driver of each school bus should come to a complete stop at every designated bus stop, after which time the driver should proceed unless students are boarding or are in the act of trying to reach the bus.

d.    Bus stops shall be designated by T.I.M.S., and along with a description of each bus route, will be filed with the Director of Transportation initially for review and compliance according to the General Statutes and Board Policy before filing with the superintendent or superintendent’s designee prior to the commencement of a new school year, in keeping with date designated by the superintendent.

e.     School buses, upon approaching narrow bridges, shall stop and allow approaching traffic to cross the bridge to avoid the danger of meeting vehicles on bridges.

f.      In the event of harsh and severe inclement weather, drivers should use their own judgment in determining making adjustments in bus stops where needed.  Younger children shall be given priority consideration on inclement weather days.

g.     In the event of early dismissal, it shall be the parent’s responsibility to assure supervision is available at home for those students riding the bus.  The school system will make every effort to publicize in advance through the media early dismissal when necessary.