Oregon Department of Education
Chapter 581
Division 53
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER TRAINING, LICENSING, AND SCHOOL BUS STANDARDS
581-053-0230
Rules Pertaining to School Bus Drivers
(1) The driver shall report as soon as possible to the proper official any deficiency or malfunction of any equipment or component of the vehicle.
(2) The driver shall not transport students unless the vehicle is safe to operate.
(3) School bus drivers shall observe all local and state traffic laws and ordinances.
(4) Drivers shall enforce local school board and Oregon Department of Education rules governing pupils riding school buses.
(5) Drivers shall observe local school board and Oregon Department of Education rules pertaining to school bus drivers.
(6) After stopping at a railway crossing as required by law, the driver shall turn off any noise-producing device with the exception of two-way radio communication. The driver shall then open the bus entrance door and driver window, look and listen for an approaching train, then close the door before proceeding across the tracks.
(7) The driver shall assist in conducting student instruction and evacuation drills as directed by the transportation entity.
(8) Drivers shall report to their employer(s) within 15 days:
(a) Any conviction for driving or criminal offenses specified in OAR 581-053-0050.
(b) Any involvement in an accident.
(c) If their CDL is no longer valid.
(9) A school bus driver shall:
(a) Never drive backwards on the school grounds prior to looking behind the bus, sounding the horn, and placing a responsible person to guard the rear;
(b) Not leave the bus when pupils are in it until the motor is shut off, the brakes set, a manual transmission put in gear and the key removed from the ignition;
(c) Not disengage the clutch or have transmission in neutral to allow the bus to coast;
(d) Stop to load or unload pupils only at designated places;
(e) See that all doors on the bus are kept closed while the bus is in motion;
(f) Bring the bus to a complete stop before taking on or letting off pupils. Whenever possible the driver shall stop at a place where the road may be clearly seen for several hundred feet in either direction;
(g) Not permit anyone to hang on or hitch onto the outside of the bus;
(h) Not use a school bus for any purpose other than transporting pupils to and from schools or authorized school activities;
(i) Not permit anyone else to operate the bus or controls, except with the permission of transportation entity or contractor;
(j) Not permit animals on the bus except guide dogs and assistance animals from recognized programs that will be accepted when accompanying blind, deaf, or physically impaired persons as identified on an IEP. Guide/assistance animals or animals in training as defined in ORS 346.680 are also accepted when they comply with all the following:
(A) Are enrolled and identified in an assistance animal training program registered with and regulated by an appropriate county extension service or designated state agency;
(B) Have a comprehensive immunization record on file with the district;
(C) Are always clearly and distinctively identified as an assistance animal in training;
(D) Are accompanied by the trainer identified in district records;
(E) Continue to demonstrate their ability to ride safely with students, posing no hazards or distractions; and
(F) Comply with any additional requirements and safeguards specified by the transportation entity.
(k) Not permit firearms or other weapons to be carried in the bus;
(l) Not operate the bus with a trailer attached;
(m) Not fill the fuel tank while pupils are in the bus or while the motor is running;
(n) Not transport any person who is not a pupil, a teacher, or an official of the school while traveling the regular route, unless authorized to do so by a authorized school official. School officials may authorize other persons to ride in the school buses on special occasions having to do with school affairs;
(o) Make certain that all aisles and passageways are kept clear;
(p) Not permit signs of any kind to be attached to the bus, except those specifically permitted by law or regulation;
(q) Report to school officials immediately when buses are overloaded as described in OAR 581-053-0002 and ORS 820.180(1)(b);
(r) Stop the bus if any difficulty arises or if disorder prevails in the bus making it unsafe to continue and not proceed until the situation is remedied. Misconduct of pupils shall be reported to the proper official;
(s) Not use tobacco on the school bus and shall not permit passengers to use tobacco on the bus;
(t) Not be under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or any drug likely to affect the person's ability to operate the vehicle safely while on duty; shall not consume an alcoholic beverage, regardless of its alcoholic content or any drug likely to affect the person's ability to operate the vehicle safely while on duty or within eight hours before going on duty to operate a pupil transporting vehicle;
(u) Not allow pupils to leave the bus except at their designated stop without the authorization of school officials;
(v) Ensure students are seated before putting the bus in motion;
(w) Complete any training required by the Oregon Department of Education, transportation entity or contractor;
(x) Make written reports of accidents involving the pupil-transporting vehicle to the Oregon Department of Education. Reports shall be submitted within 72 hours of the accident. Drivers shall use forms provided by ODE.
(y) Make other reports as required by the transportation entity, the Oregon Department of Education and the Motor Vehicles Division:
(z) Use all securement straps and attachments for students with adaptive/assistive devices in a manner consistent with their design;
(aa) Not transport pupils seated on three-wheeled mobile seating devices.
(bb) Not use a cell phone, with or without a hands free device, while operating a school bus unless summoning medical or other emergency help if no other person in the vehicle is capable of summoning help.
(cc) Not eat or drink while operating the bus.
(dd) Not transport students in three wheeled devices.
(ee) Not transport compressed oxygen unless:
(A) The capacity is less than or equal to 22 cubic feet;
(B) The tank is certified and labeled as approved by the Department of Transportation;
(C) The tank valve and regulator are protected from breakage; and
(D) The tank is securely attached to avoid being a hazard for students and away from intense heat.
(ff) Not transport liquid oxygen unless:
(A) The capacity is less than or equal to 23 cubic feet;
(B) The tank is certified and labeled as approved by the Department of Transportation; and
(C) The tank is securely attached to avoid being a hazard for students and away from intense heat.
(gg) Ensure that no students are left unattended on the school bus after a route or activity trip.
(10) Use of Bus Safety Lights:
(a) When pupils must cross the roadway to board, or after leaving the bus, the driver shall actuate the amber flashing warning lights 100 to 300 feet before the stop. The driver shall stop the bus in the right hand traffic lane. The red lights shall remain flashing until all pupils have safely crossed the roadway;
(b) When pupils need not cross the roadway to board, or after leaving the bus, the driver shall:
(A) When practicable, stop completely off the main traveled portion of the roadway. The driver shall not actuate the bus safety lights;
(B) Where it is not practicable to stop completely off the main traveled portion of the roadway the driver shall actuate the amber flashing warning lights 100 to 300 feet before the stop. The driver shall stop the bus in the right-hand traffic lane. The red lights shall remain flashing until pupils have safely boarded or left the bus.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 327.013 & 820.100 - 820.120
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 327.013, 820.100, 820.105, 820.110 & 820.120
History:
ODE 25-2019, minor correction filed 07/17/2019, effective 07/17/2019
ODE 40-2014, f. & cert. ef. 9-3-14
ODE 19-2012, f. & cert. ef. 6-14-12