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Questions? Contact us - 978-692-5560 x2100
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1. Who does not have to pay a fee for school bus transportation and who does have to pay a fee for this transportation service? For the 2012-2013 school year, the school department will follow school transportation eligibility criteria of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. All children in grades K-6 who reside more than two miles from the school they are entitled to attend are eligible for transportation services which will be paid for by the Westford Public Schools. Children in grades K-6 who live two miles or less from the school that they attend, and all students in grades 7-12
will have to pay a fee to ride the school bus to and from school.
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2. If I do not have to pay a fee for my child/children to ride the school bus to and from school, must I register online? Yes, an online registration form is needed for any child/children who will be riding the bus, whether it is fee-based or not. This registration form will allow us to provide your child/children with a bus pass, which is needed to ride a bus to and from school. You must register for a bus pass online, regardless of whether or not you have to pay a fee. Bus passes may be picked up at the School Department Administrative Office, 23 Depot Street,
Westford, MA. Please bring your completed, printed Registration Form Receipt with you when you come to pick up the bus pass.
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3. How is the two mile distance determined for children in grades K-6? The two mile distance from a child’s school is measured by using the shortest route over a public way from the pupil’s residence, as measured from the end of the residence driveway to the closest main entrance driveway of the child’s school of attendance.
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4. How will the two mile distance be accurately measured from the schools? We will utilize two approaches to establish the two mile limit around each elementary and middle school (the two mile calculation at the middle school level is only applicable to grade 6). First, we will use GIS software to establish the two mile limit; secondly we will conduct actual mileage checks from the driveway of each respective school to the point on the most commonly traveled public way until we reach two miles. Specific street addresses, telephone pole numbers and any other
distinguishing geographical characteristic will be used to carefully note the two mile limit from each school.
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5. What if I do not agree with the two mile calculation from the school with respect to my property?On the online registration form, which must be filed with your fee, there is a section that asks that we please confirm the two mile distance with respect to your property.
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6. Will bus passes be issued to all students who will be transported (fee-based and eligible)? Yes, bus passes will be issued upon the receipt of payment in full for the transportation fee (if applicable) for each student and for the completed online registration information for those students who qualify for free transportation. Every student who plans to ride the bus must register for a bus pass whether he pays a fee or not. Students will not be able to ride the bus without a pass. If a bus pass is lost during the school year a $5.00 replacement fee will be
charged for every new bus pass that is required. Bus passes will contain the student photo taken in school for the 2011-2012 year.
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7. Will there be a family cap on fees for transportation? Yes, the family cap will be $600. If you have one student requiring a fee, it is $225; two students requiring a fee, $450. For three students or more who require a fee, the family cap will be $600.
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8. Will any families who are required to pay a fee for transportation realize a reduced rate or a waived fee, and what criteria will be used to determine a reduced or waived fee? If your child received a free or reduced priced lunch in the 2011-2012 school year, there will be no charge for transportation. However, you must still submit a completed Transportation Registration Form to receive a bus pass. Please see Sandy Krenitsky in the School Dept Business Office to pick up your pass.
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9. What method of payment can I use to pay my child/children’s bus fee? On the school department’s transportation web site there is a link for parents wishing to pay the school bus fee via credit card. You may also pay by check, with the check made payable to the Westford Public Schools. All payments, whether they may be by credit card or check must be accompanied by a completed transportation registration form. If paying by credit card, registration is part of that online process. Additional bank fees will be charged when paying by credit
card. This fee will be $11.00 for every bus registration with a maximum fee of $33.00.
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10. Will the bus routes and bus stops remain the same? Some of the bus routes will be similar, if not the same, as in previous years. However, bus stops in the 2012-2013 school year may be different. The location of bus stops, particularly for students who must pay a fee for transportation service, are dependent upon how many students pay the fee and their location. Early payment of transportation fees will expedite the process of establishing bus routes and stops.
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11. May a student ride a bus other than the one he/she is assigned to? Students should ride their regular bus home. Written permission from the parent or guardian is required for a change in the regular bus schedule. In this case, parents should include the bus number in their written permission. Space must be available on the bus before a bus change is approved. Please call Dee Bus Company at 978-392-8639 to check if there is available space on the bus.
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12. Instead of paying a school bus fee, I will choose to transport my child to his/her school. Suppose my child is invited to a birthday party at his/her friend’s house after school, can my child ride home with that friend on the school bus? No, if you choose not to pay a fee for your child to be transported, you are responsible for transporting your child to the friend’s house.
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13. What if my child only needs to be transported to school in the morning, or only needs to be transported from school in the afternoon, do I still have to pay the full fee? Yes, there is no pro-ration of the fee based on the need for only one-way transportation.
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14. What if my child only needs to be transported to school by the bus two or three days a week, do I still have to pay the full fee? Yes, we cannot plan bus routes and bus stops based on inconsistent ridership and pro-rated fees.
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15. Must my child carry the bus pass every day? Yes, every student must have his/her bus pass each day. We recommend that this pass be attached to a backpack or article of clothing so they are quickly available and observable by the school bus driver.
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16. If I must pay a fee for my children to be transported may I pay this fee in installments? No, transportation fees must be paid in full at the time of application for transportation service. Online credit card payment and registration is offered. Note: there is a credit card fee in addition to the bus fee. These fees are listed on the registration payment page. This credit card fee goes directly to the processor and the bank and does not go to the school department.
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17. Will bus passes be checked? Students must present a bus pass to board the bus going to school and to board the bus coming home from school. Abuse of the bus pass system will result in forfeiture of transportation privileges and fees. Criteria for bus discipline and safety, as outlined in the student handbooks, will be in effect whether someone pays a fee or not. |
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18. If my child is Open-Enrolled to a school that is more than 2 miles from my home, is he/she eligible for free transportation? No. Under the school department's Open Enrollment Policy, parents are responsible for their child's transportation to and from the school to which they are open enrolled.
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19. I live within 2 miles of my child's school, but the day care center, at which he/she is picked up and dropped off at is within our school district, but more than 2 miles from the school. Do I have to pay a fee for transportation? Yes, the distance criteria that determines whether or not you pay a transportation fee is based on your residence.
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20. If my child has a bus pass, can he/she be transported to a day care center which is not in his/her school district? No, a child care center must be located within your child's school district.
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21. For early release days, either for staff professional development, or inclement weather, will children who do not have a bus pass be transported home? No, transportation services will only be available for children who have a bus pass. A parent or legal guardian will have to pick up his/her child (who does not have a bus pass) shortly after the early release time.
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22. My child has a special needs educational plan which specifies that he/she needs to be transported to school via a special education van; Do I have to pay a transportation fee? No, the law does not permit school systems to charge a fee for transporting special needs students, via a van, when it is prescribed in a child's educational plan.
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23. After the beginning of the school year, if I decide to obtain a bus pass for my child/children, and have to pay a fee, is there a proration of the fee? No, there is no proration of the bus fee throughout the school year. |
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