Bus Barn
390 FM 316 South
Eustace, TX 75124

Stan Sowers

• Transportation Director
• swsowers@eustaceisd.net
• 903 425 5122

Mike Wheat

• Head Technician
• mwheat@eustaceisd.net

Buses and Other School Vehicles

      The district makes school bus transportation available to all students living two or more miles from school. This service is provided at no cost to students. Bus routes and stops will be designated annually, and any subsequent changes will be posted at the school and on the district’s website. For the safety of the operator of the vehicle and all passengers, students must board buses or other vehicles only at authorized stops, and drivers must unload passengers only at authorized stops. A parent may also designate a child-care facility or grandparent’s residence as the regular pickup and drop-off location for his or her child. The designated facility or residence must be on an approved stop on an approved route. For information on bus routes and stops or to designate an alternate pickup or drop-off location, you may contact the Transportation Director at (903) 425-5122. You may also view the Eustace ISD handbook HERE.

   Students are expected to assist district staff in ensuring that buses and other district vehicles remain in good condition and that transportation is provided safely. When riding in district vehicles, including buses, students are held to behavioral standards established in this handbook and the Student Code of Conduct.

Students must:

• Follow the driver’s directions at all times.
• Enter and leave the vehicle in an orderly manner at the designated stop.
• Keep feet, books, instrument cases, and other objects out of the aisle.
• Not deface the vehicle or its equipment.
• Not put head, hands, arms, or legs out of the window, hold any object out of the window, or throw objects within   or out of the  vehicle.
• Not possess or use any form of tobacco or e-cigarettes in any district vehicle.
• Observe all usual classroom rules.
• Be seated while the vehicle is moving.
• Fasten their seat belts, if available.
• Wait for the driver’s signal upon leaving the vehicle and before crossing in front of the vehicle.
• Follow any other rules established by the operator of the vehicle.

   Misconduct will be punished in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct; the privilege to ride in a district vehicle, including a school bus, may be suspended or revoked.

   Every effort is made to have bus routes run on a consistent timeframe. Parents should have their students ready to load when the bus arrives and be at home when students are released. Failure of the parents to meet the bus on a timely basis will result in bus riding privileges being revoked.

Discipline Procedures Concerning Bus Conduct​

   When a student has a behavior problem on the bus and none of the non-punitive plans work, the bus conduct report will be utilized. Discipline shall be correlated to the seriousness of the offense, the student’s age and grade level, and the frequency of misbehavior. For Conduct Reports concerning non-safety issues such as, but not limited to, eating/drinking, gum chewing, etc., each campus will follow their normal discipline procedures. However; suspension from riding a bus can still be used as an option if all other attempts to correct the behavior have not proven successful. For Conduct Reports involving safety issues these five steps will be followed by each campus:

1. First Notice: Is a warning that the student named has been involved in the incident described. Parent/Guardian will be notified by the school about the behavior problem(s). Student returns white copy of the conduct report signed by the parent to the campus principal before the student can ride the bus again.
2. Second Notice: May bring disciplinary action and possible suspension of bus riding privileges from one to (3) three days. If a suspension is warranted, the parent/ guardian will be notified before the suspension in the form of a bus conduct referral. The student must return the signed copy of the Bus Conduct Report to the principal before he/she rides the bus again.
3. Third Notice: May bring a suspension of bus privileges for up to (5) five days. Parent/guardian will be notified before the suspension. Parents/Guardians will be contacted to arrange a meeting with the Campus Administrator. Campus Administrators will work together with Parents/Guardians to ensure corrective measures have been worked out. Student must return the copy of the Bus Conduct Report signed by the parent to the principal before the student can ride the bus again.
4. Fourth Notice: Will follow the same procedure as the third including a suspension of riding privileges of up to 10 days as well as other punishment, depending on the misconduct. The student must return the signed copy of the Bus Conduct Report to the principal before he/she rides the bus again.
5. Fifth Notice: Student may be suspended for the remainder of the semester as well as other punishment, depending on the misconduct. The student must return the signed copy of the Bus Conduct Report to the principal before he/she rides the bus again.

   Any unsafe, dangerous behavior can result in extreme discipline measures and a denial of bus riding privileges without going through the progression stated above.  

   Serious misconduct that endangers the physical safety of other passengers or the driver shall be reason to bypass the above steps. The driver has the authority to contact school, and/or law enforcement for assistance. In such cases, the Transportation Director and/or the Campus principal will be notified as soon as is practical to determine the need to take the student home or to school, whichever is deemed appropriate.

Removal from the School Bus

   A bus driver may refer a student to the principal’s office or the campus behavior coordinator’s office to maintain effective discipline on the bus. The principal or campus behavior coordinator must employ additional discipline management techniques, as appropriate, which can include restricting or revoking a student’s bus riding privileges.

  Since the district’s primary responsibility in transporting students in district vehicles is to do so as safely as possible, the operator of the vehicle must focus on driving and not have his or her attention distracted by student misbehavior. Therefore, when appropriate disciplinary management techniques fail to improve student behavior or when specific misconduct warrants immediate removal, the principal or the campus behavior coordinator may restrict or revoke a student’s transportation privileges, in accordance with law.

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Mike Wheat