Yes, our dispatch office opens at 5:45 AM. Please call us at 302.322.0251.

We provide transportation services for over 16,000 students attending 28 schools in the Red Clay Consolidated School District. A total of 176 buses make multiple trips to cover approximately 800 bus routes.

The following students are eligible for transportation services:

- Elementary school students who live one mile or more from the elementary school in their feeder pattern;

- Secondary school students who live two miles or more from the secondary school in their feeder pattern; and

- Students in Intensive Learning Centers, the Positive Learning Center, and the Meadowood Program (transportation will be provided in accordance with State law).

School bus drivers must complete 18 hours of State training. They must also complete training and testing for a commercial driver's license (CDL). In addition, each driver must obtain a criminal background check and an annual physical. All drivers are subject to random drug and alcohol testing.

We are always looking for excellent drivers to train to become school bus drivers. We have classes beginning every other week.

Applications are available at the Red Clay Consolidated School District, Office of Transportation Services, 479 Old Airport Road, New Castle, DE 19720.

Our transportation team makes every effort to keep buses running on schedule every day.

A number of factors may cause a delay in a school bus's arrival, including weather, traffic, driver absenteeism, maintenance difficulties, heavy traffic, and unforeseen incidents.

If a bus driver is absent, for example, bus routes may need to be doubled or run as a second load to or from the school.

If a bus driver discovers a mechanical issue during a routine check of the bus before they begin their route, the bus driver may need to locate a different bus for that day. This can cause the bus to be late.

If your child's bus does not arrive as scheduled, please allow 10-15 minutes before calling the Office of Transportation Services or your child's school.

It is simply a numbers problem. There could be as many as 50-70 students on each bus. That is at least 50-70 phone calls in a short timeframe to parents who are quite possibly at the bus stop with their children. It is just not feasible.

Please know that there is a bus on the way and that we will do everything humanly possible to transport your child to and from school in a timely manner every day. If your bus is more than 10 minutes late, please allow for the time that is required for the route to be driven as a second load.

Per State law, each student eligible for transportation is permitted one seat on a bus. Providing transportation to and from different locations on different days would require the assignment of multiple seats for those students.

Per the Red Clay Consolidated School District Student Code of Conduct, students must ride their assigned bus to and from their assigned stop. Switching buses for any reason is strictly prohibited.

We provide transportation for students whose day care facility is 1) officially licensed by the State of Delaware and 2) in the same feeder pattern as the school they are attending.

We pick up and deliver students to the closest possible stop to their day care facility.

The Office of Transportation Services does not endorse or recommend any specific day care facility.

State regulation requires that we provide safe, efficient bus routes to all eligible students in our district. We work very hard to keep bus routes less than an hour and in order to do so, we have to maintain routes that reduce time and mileage wherever possible. Some routes are over one hour, unfortunately with the distance we have to travel for some programs and the equipment limitations we have we have to be creative in our approach to bus routes. Just a few of the things we consider in determining where to designate a stop are:

- Can the bus and its warning lights be seen by other motorists at a distance of 500 feet on open roadways or 200 feet on urban streets (four seconds at typical optimal speeds)?
- Are the students and other motorists visible to the bus driver when approaching the stop?
- How do light conditions affect the visibility approaching the student stop? (sun rising and setting, background lighting – Christmas season, etc.)
- Hills and curves reduce the visibility for drivers approaching a stop or a stopped school bus. Whenever possible, we avoid designating a bus stop near a hillcrest or curve in the roadway.
- Do surrounding buildings or foliage affect what the driver can see when approaching the stop?
- Are there potential hazards from side streets or parking lots?
- Is there an area for students to safely wait for the bus?
- Is there potential shelter for students in the event of inclement weather?
How many students are at the stop? What are their ages?

Bus stops are established at easily identified locations accessible to students throughout a geographic area. This assures student safety, bus safety, and service reliability. Every time a school bus stops to pick up or drop off students, rider time on the route is increased for the deceleration, stop sequence, loading, seating, safety checks, and acceleration back into traffic flow. Stopping at every residence along a road can be unsafe as well as an unacceptably inefficient use of resources. If we stopped at every student residence that the bus might pass by, some students would be on the bus for unacceptable lengths of time.

In addition, there would additional fuel consumption and pollution, and some other motorists would be so frequently delayed that they could begin to “take chances” to get past the bus.

Problems have also been encountered with identifying the location for the stop, creating an unsafe ‘stop-and-go’ hesitancy while a new or substitute driver tries to find the address.

School buses come in various sizes ranging from 25 to 36 feet long, 12 to 13 feet high and 6 to 9 feet wide. The length is what limits the school bus to be maneuvered in cul-de-sacs and tight places. Smaller buses can turn in a shorter radius, while longer buses cannot maneuver the same circle without backing the bus, which is avoided in routing if possible. Residents sometimes park trucks, boats, and trailers on the streets. Children leave their bicycles, skateboards, and basketball backboards in the street.

Although our drivers are trained to be able to parallel park their buses, some subdivisions are not designed with school bus transportation in mind. Please know that we will design school bus routes to be safe and convenient to the majority of students within the limits of time and physics.

Yes, we have approximately 1,500 stops located within the Red Clay Consolidated School District. Our transportation supervisor travels throughout the district regularly to assess environmental and traffic changes. Bus drivers report any concerns they may have relating to safe operations at bus stops. During a typical year we will review approximately one third of these stops. We will formally review another 50 per year due to concerns expressed about stop safety by residents.

Many development streets were designed and built without sidewalks to maintain a rustic or non-urban image. When such streets were reviewed by the Delaware Department of Transportation, they were accepted as low [traffic] volume pedestrian-safe shared traffic facilities. Parents are expected to teach their children the safe and legal way to walk along the streets in their developments.

If the street is used as a “through” street or arterial, we will review traffic to determine if a bus must be assigned to pick students up along the street due to high traffic volumes causing an unsafe pedestrian situation. Most of those streets have already been identified by past traffic studies. If you believe that the traffic using your street has increased due to changes in travel patterns, please contact the Office of Transportation Services and we will conduct a traffic study to assess school transportation needs.

Your student's IEP team will determine transportation needs. Transportation services are based solely on the needs of the student and in accordance with the law. The educational diagnostician or school administrator will submit a transportation request to the Office of Transportation Services for processing.

Please all 5-7 business days for our team to complete this process. That is the average length of time needed to obtain all emergency information, process routing information, contact drivers, and communicate with families and professionals involved in the process.

Our goal is not to exceed one hour.

Safety is our top priority. Changes may be granted for consistent schedules within the child's regular route.

Acceptable behavior on a school bus is addressed in Red Clay's Student Code of Conduct. The bus is an extension of the school day. The Student Code of Conduct remains in effect any time a student is on the school bus, including the assigned bus to and from school, activity buses, sports buses, and field trip buses.

Buses are provided for those students whose distance from school, or whose health issues, make the service essential. Children should be instructed in the following rules of behavior:

• Pupils must obey the driver promptly and be courteous to the driver and to fellow pupils. The driver is in full charge of the bus and pupils, and has the authority of a classroom teacher.
• Pupils must be on time; the bus has to run on schedule and cannot wait for those who are tardy.
• Pupils should never stand or play on the roadway while waiting for the bus.
• Before boarding the bus, pupils must keep a safe distance from it while it is in motion.
• Pupils must enter the bus without crowding or disturbing others and occupy their seats immediately.
• Pupils must not try to get on or off the bus when it is in motion. When on the bus, they must remain seated until the bus has come to a complete stop.
• Pupils must keep out of the driver's seat and remember that unnecessary conversation with the driver is prohibited while the bus is in motion.
• In approaching the bus or a bus stop along the highway, a pupil should walk on the left side of the road facing traffic. The pupil should be sure that the road is clear of all traffic or that all traffic has stopped before crossing. Upon leaving the bus, the pupil should immediately walk around the front of the bus and stop before crossing. The pupil should make sure that the road is either clear of all traffic or that all traffic has come to a complete stop before crossing.
• In crossing the street or highway at any time, pupils should look both to the right and to the left, then WALK -- not run.
• Outside ordinary conversation in normal tone, classroom conduct is to be observed when on the bus.
• Pupils must not call out to passersby. They should not open the bus windows without permission from the driver; and not extend their head or arms out of the windows.
• Pupils will not leave the bus without the driver's consent, except on arrival at their regular bus stop or at school.
• Pupils should help to keep the bus clean, sanitary, and orderly. They must not damage or abuse the equipment.
• Pupils are not permitted to smoke while on the bus.
• Pupils must not use profanity while on the bus.
• Pupils must not throw articles of any kind in, out, or around the bus.
• Pupils are not to eat or drink while on the bus.
• Other forms of misconduct that will not be tolerated are acts such as, but not limited to, indecent exposure, obscene gestures, and spitting.
• Pupils are to conduct themselves while on the bus in such a way that it will not distract the driver from the job of driving.
• Pupils may not bring large musical instruments, live animals, balloons, glass containers, skateboards, or large school projects onto the bus.
• Athletic equipment brought on the bus must fit between the pupil’s legs and not be placed on the seat or in the aisle. Care and safety when transporting sports equipment should be considered a priority. Pupils misusing the equipment or allowing another student to misuse the equipment while on the bus will lose the privilege to transport the equipment on the bus. Whenever possible, the athletic equipment should be in appropriate equipment bags to avoid sharp edges being exposed to pupils.

Per state regulations, bus drivers are required to assign a seat to each child riding the bus. This is typically done in collaboration with school administrators.

Assigned seating helps the driver learn the names of their riders, prevents conflicts on the bus, assures that each student will be seated, and reduces confusion when the students are loading at the bus stop or at school.

Drivers may change the seat assignments at any time, even temporarily or during the middle of a ride, to correct or prevent disruptions on the bus. This is rider management and is not punishment or disciplinary action. If your child wants to be assigned to a specific location on the bus or to sit with another rider, they can ask the bus driver to change their assigned seat. The bus driver will determine whether the request can be approved.

Behavioral expectations on the school bus are much like those in the classroom. Factor in the mobility of that "classroom" and traffic, added noise, and the size of the "classroom," and you have a potential catastrophe if there are not clear behavioral expectations on the bus.

The behavioral expectations on the bus revolve around the individual rights of every person on the bus, including the driver, and the collective rights of students and driver as it pertains to safety.  Anything that jeopardizes the safety of individuals on the bus is taken very seriously.

Most drivers have bus rules or expectations posted on the bus. When there is an infraction, a referral is turned into the school administrator, who is responsible for contacting the student and parent to solve the lack of compliance with bus expectations. The school administrator is solely responsible for consequences based on the incident as described by the driver and student.  Most buses have video cameras, which are used to verify incidents. Our goal is never to deny any student transportation to and from school, but we must maintain safety for all students.

Denial of bus privileges is the temporary removal of the opportunity to ride the school bus. Such denials are for a period not to exceed five school days. The principal may, however, deny bus privileges for a period to exceed five (5) days for repeated misbehavior. Denials for longer than five (5) days must have the approval of the Superintendent or his designee. 

• Prior to denial of bus privileges, the student shall:
  A. Be given oral or written notice of the charges and be told who is making these charges or complaints. 
  B. Be given a fair and impartial hearing and have the opportunity to present the student's side of the story. 
  C. Have had prior opportunity to know that the misbehavior was in violation of established rules and regulations.
  D. Be advised that denial of bus privileges may be appealed to the next higher authority.
• In all cases of denial of bus privileges, an attempt shall be made to notify the parents by telephone and with a written notification of the denial sent to the parents within 24 hours.
  During the denial of bus privileges, it shall be the parents' responsibility to provide the students transportation to school. Should the student be absent, the responsibility for initiating the makeup work and turning in assignments rests with the student.
• Denial of bus privileges shall not be used as a disciplinary action for non bus related violations.
• Upon the third bus suspension within one school year, the student will be placed on a behavioral contract. Upon the fourth bus suspension within one school year, a principal must refer the case to the Superintendent or his designee for further action, including possible recommendation for extended denial of bus privileges.