Transportation

For the 2026-27 school year, the district is implementing an opt-in transportation model for students who are eligible for transportation under Board policy. This means eligible students will not receive a bus route automatically and must submit the “Transportation Request Form” in the PowerSchool Parent Portal to opt in or opt out of bus service.

Instructions and Additional Information

This model will allow us to build more accurate bus routes based on actual ridership, allowing for more efficient routes, which means less time for students on the bus and fewer empty stops.

Eligible students are no longer routed automatically.

Complete the form by Friday, August 14, in order to receive route information before the first day of school.

There are no changes to transportation offerings for middle school students. Consistent with current practice and board policy, middle school students will not be provided transportation, as adequate public transportation options continue to be available. The only exceptions are for middle school students who (1) live in the Walker Elementary boundary and attend Chute, or (2) have transportation written into their IEP. 

Additionally, District 65 will provide transportation to Bessie Rhodes students who will attend Haven and live outside of its boundaries. This commitment applies for a three-year period and is limited to incoming students in grades 6, 7, and 8.

The Board also voted to rescind Policy 4:112, which addressed transportation for magnet school and programs. This policy will not be in place as of next school year. w. Moving forward, transportation eligibility for ALL students will be determined under Policy 4:110 (referenced above). Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, there will no longer be fee-based transportation services.

Updates to District 65's online policy manual can take up to two weeks to update. The updated language for Policy 4:110: Transportation is here: 

The District shall provide free transportation for students in grades K through 8 in the District: (1) residing at a distance of one and one-half miles or more from their attendance schools, unless the Board has certified to the Ill. State Board of Education that adequate public transportation is available or (2) if adequate public transportation is not available, within one and one-half miles from his or her assigned school where walking to or from school or to or from a pick-up point or bus stop would constitute a serious safety hazard due to either (a) vehicular traffic or rail crossing or (b) a course or pattern of criminal activity, as defined in the Ill. Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act, 740 ILCS 147/. A student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) may file a petition with the Board of Education requesting transportation due to the existence of a serious safety hazard. Free transportation services and vehicle adaptation for special education students shall be provided if included in the students’ individualized educational programs. English Language Learners (ELL) enrolled in bilingual education programs not located in their regular attendance center shall receive free transportation. The District may provide transportation to and from school-sponsored activities. Non-public school students shall be transported in accordance with State law. Homeless students shall be transported in accordance with Section 45/1-15 of the Education for Homeless Children Act. Foster care students shall be transported in accordance with Section 6312(c)(5)(B) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

No busing shall be provided for students attending schools on permissive transfers outside their regular attendance areas.

If a student is at a location within the District, other than his or her residence, for child care purposes at the time for transportation to and/or from school, that location may be considered for purposes of determining the 1½ miles from the school attended. Unless the Superintendent or designee establishes new routes, pick-up and drop-off locations for students in day care must be along the District’s regular routes. The District will not discriminate among types of locations where day care is provided, which may include the premises of licensed providers, relatives’ homes, or neighbors’ homes.

Bus schedules and routes shall be determined by the bus company in conjunction with the Transportation Manager and shall be altered only with the Superintendent or designee’s approval and direction. In establishing the routes, the pick-up and discharge points should be as safe as possible. No school employee may transport students in school or private vehicles unless authorized by the Administration.

Every vehicle regularly used for the transportation of students must pass safety inspections in accordance with State law and Ill. Dept. of Transportation regulations. The strobe light on a school bus may be illuminated only when the bus is actually being used as a school bus and (1) is stopping or stopped for loading or discharging students on a highway outside an urban area, or (2) is bearing one or more students. The Superintendent shall implement procedures in accordance with State law for accepting comment calls about school bus driving.

All contracts for charter bus services must contain the clause prescribed by State law regarding criminal background checks for bus drivers.

Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Vehicle Inspection
The District’s student transportation provider shall implement and provide the District with verification of a pre-trip and post-trip inspection procedure to ensure that the school bus driver: (1) tests the two-way radio or cellular radio telecommunication device and ensures that it is functioning properly before the bus is operated, and (2) walks to the rear of the bus before leaving the bus at the end of each route, work shift, or work day, to check the bus for children or other passengers in the bus.