Grand Coulee Dam School District

Grand Coulee Dam School District buses meet or exceed federal and state regulations and they are inspected annually by the State Patrol. Our buses have high-backed, energy-absorbing seats to provide compartmentalized protection, giving students a confined, cushioned area. Tests have proven that children are safer in buses when sitting properly in these seats than in seat belts. Our buses are all of high-quality construction and maintained to provide the safest ride possible.

All Grand Coulee Dam School District bus drivers must complete a state-required training program, including classroom and behind-the-wheel training. Drivers must submit to an FBI and WSP finger print background check, have a commercial driver’s license and a current first-aid/CPR card, and meet Federal Department of Transportation physical requirements. They must pass pre-employment drug tests and submit to random drug and alcohol tests on a regular basis. The school district provides additional mandatory and optional training workshops throughout the school year.

Many students begin and end their day with a school bus ride. Student safety is the driver’s primary concern. Proper loading, unloading, and enforcement of the bus riding rules are the driver’s tools for safety.

The transportation department determines bus stops following guidelines and laws pertinent to safety and hazardous conditions in compliance with Grand Coulee Dam School District’s policy, Washington Administrative Codes (WAC), and Revised Codes of Washington (RCW).

Bus stops will be established to avoid travel on private driveways or roads not publicly maintained.

Students who require special transportation will be picked up and dropped off as close to their home as is practicable depending on their maturity, age, and disability. Special education students will be assigned to a regular route whenever possible.

Students should be at their designated stop location five(5) minutes prior to the scheduled arrival of the bus. School and transportation schedules will not allow drivers to remain at a stop location waiting for students to arrive in the morning.

Similarly, a parent or guardian who believes that a young student should be supervised following the students departure from the school bus at the end of the day must arrive at the stop location in a timely manner. The driver is not permitted to stop a bus route to wait for a student’s supervising adult. Except for extraordinary circumstances, a student will be dropped off at a designated stop at the scheduled time whether or not a parent or guardian is there to meet the bus. The student will not be transported back to the school or transportation office simply because a parent or guardian is late to meet the bus.

If your child is the only student picked up at a stop location, it is very important that you contact Transportation at 509-631-3210 if your child is staying home. If the driver comes by three (3) days and the student is not there, the driver will not return until we are notified the student needs transportation to resume.