Bus Routes

Generally, four-year-old students are provided transportation under the same conditions as all other elementary school students. If you live less than one and one-half miles away from your attendance area school, and your child is in 4K, you may submit an 4K Walk Area Exception Request.  These applications are due during the summer before your child starts 4K. Transportation is provided on an “as available” basis. Determinations regarding space on existing routes will be made within the first two weeks of the school year and transportation will begin during the third week of the year. This exception is only available for 4K students. The District will not provide transportation to siblings, relatives or friends of the 4K student.

Applications for 4K bus service will not generally be accepted during the school year except when a family experiences a significant change in circumstances (onset of parent health condition) or moves into the District after the school year has already begun.

4K Bus Stop Locations

For the before-school (morning 4K)  and after-school (afternoon 4K) runs, 4K students will be picked-up and dropped off with all other elementary students at the established bus stops.  For the midday run, students attending morning 4K may be dropped off in front of their house (or at the closest safe location in situations where the bus cannot safely maneuver) and students attending afternoon 4K may be picked up from in front of their house (or at the closest safe location in situations where the bus cannot safely maneuver).

4K Drop-off Procedures

When a child attends a morning 4K session, the student is dropped off in front of their house (or closest safe location) and the District requires that a parent or responsible adult meet the bus to accept the student.

When a child attends an afternoon 4K session, the student is dropped off with all other elementary students at the established bus stop servicing the neighborhood. The District requires that a parent or responsible adult be at the bus stop to meet the 4K student.

Elementary school-aged students (4-year-old kindergarten through fifth grade) who live in the MMSD and who attend their attendance area MMSD school are eligible for District-provided, yellow bus transportation if their pick-up location (residence or childcare location) is located more than one and one-half (1.5) miles from the attendance area elementary school or they reside in an area identified as an unusually hazardous zone in which transportation may be offered.

6th-8th:  Students in 6th-8th grade who live in the MMSD and who attend their attendance area MMSD school are eligible for District-provided, yellow bus transportation if their address of residence  is located more than one and one-half (1.5) miles from the attendance area middle school.

9th – 12th: The District does not generally provide transportation to high-school-aged students (grades nine through twelve). Rather, the District and City of Madison work cooperatively to ensure that Madison Metro Transit routes are available to students as a primary means of transportation. Yellow bus transportation is provided to neighborhoods where no public transportation is available. District-provided Metro passes are available for students who:

1. Reside within the boundaries of the school attendance area
2. Reside more than one and one-half (1.5) miles from their attendance area school.
3. Have demonstrable financial need, including qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

The District provides yellow bus transportation to private/parochial students in grades 4K through 5 who live in the designated attendance areas and attend St. James, St. Dennis, Queen of Peace or St. Maria Goretti. Yellow bus transportation for the school year will align to the District’s calendar. Transportation will begin on the same day as the District’s start date.

Parents of students attending a private or parochial school other than those identified above may be eligible to receive reimbursement through a parent contract. In order to qualify for a parent contract a student must:

1. Reside within the boundaries of the Madison Metropolitan School District.
2. Reside within the boundaries of the school attendance area.
3. Be four years old on or before September 1st of the year school will start.
4. Be in eighth grade or younger (except in certain areas of Fitchburg).
5. Reside more than 1.5 miles from the school attended.

Reimbursement for Transportation Letter

Annual Cost of Transportation Excel Workbook

The expectations outlined in the district's Behavior Education Plan (BEP) also apply to regular, yellow bus transportation. If a student engages in misconduct while on a yellow bus, the bus driver is required to report the misconduct to the school principal or  designee within 24 hours of the incident.  The principal will determine consequences for student misconduct in accordance with the BEP, up to and including suspension and/or an expulsion recommendation; the building principal may also revoke a student's riding privileges; the building principal may also revoke a student’s riding privileges.  See Board Policy 4213.

The District does not have the authority to suspend or expel a student for behavior on a Madison Metro bus unless such behavior occurs while the student is at school or under the supervision of a school authority or the behavior, which occurs while the student is not at school or under the supervision of a school authority, endangers the property, health or safety of others at school or under the supervision of a school authority or endangers the property, health or safety of an employee or school board member.

The District may engage students in preventive or restorative measures/practices to address student behavior on Madison Metro buses.

Madison Metro has a separate passenger code of conduct for riders (see riding rules).  Madison Metro is charged with enforcing the passenger code of conduct and may revoke riding privileges. If a student has their riding privileges revoked by Madison Metro, the District is not obligated to provide an alternative form of transportation.  In addition, a student’s bus pass may be restricted based on their behavior.

Upon reviewing a video provided by Madison Metro, pursuant to Board Policy 4156, the District may release a student’s name, present address and telephone listing to Madison Metro Transit.  Prior to release, Madison Metro must affirm, in writing, that it intends to use the information for  investigating and/or imposing discipline pursuant to the terms of Madison Metro’s passenger code of conduct.

Some students with disabilities may receive “specialized transportation” as part of either their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan (504 Plan).  In order to be eligible for specialized transportation, an IEP team or 504 team must determine that specialized transportation is a service that is required to assist a student with a disability to benefit from special education or is required to provide equal access to the regular education environment.  The IEP team may also determine that a student requires specialized transportation during extended school year (ESY) services.  If your child is a student with a disability and you believe that he or she requires specialized transportation, please contact your child’s case manager.

Specialized transportation of non-disabled children who live in the same household

Often specialized transportation routes are either full or will fill up throughout the school year as new students with disabilities are identified and qualify for specialized transportation. Specialized transportation routes also frequently change to accommodate newly added riders. Consequently, only students with disabilities who require specialized transportation may ride on routes/vehicles that have been designated for specialized transportation. There may be a narrow exception to this practice for students who are determined to be homeless (see Transportation Services for Students Determined to be Homeless section below).

Transportation outside District boundaries

Generally, students who are receiving specialized transportation and who are attending MMSD schools are not entitled to be transported outside of the District’s boundaries or their attendance area. For example, the District will not transport a student with a disability to a daycare located in a neighboring district or in another attendance area.  The practice of not providing transportation outside of District boundaries or outside the assigned attendance area is applicable to all MMSD students.  

An exception to this practice may occur when a student with a disability is placed by an IEP team at a school or facility outside of the District’s boundaries or outside of the child’s attendance area and the student requires specialized transportation to and from that school or facility.

Transportation to schools other than the student’s school of residence

There are three scenarios in which a student with a disability may attend a school other than the student’s school of residence (i.e. the school the child would attend based upon the attendance area for the student’s residence). Those scenarios are: 1) Request for an internal transfer; 2) Administrative transfer; and 3) IEP placement.

If a student is attending or seeks to attend an MMSD school that is not their school of residence by way of a parental request for an internal transfer, the student will not be entitled to receive specialized transportation to the non-resident school. As long as the student continues to be eligible to receive specialized transportation, the student will continue to be entitled to receive specialized transportation to his or her school of residence. However, the student will not be entitled to specialized transportation to and from the requested non-resident school.

If a student is attending an MMSD school that is not their school of residence by way of an administrative transfer and the student is eligible to receive specialized transportation, the student is entitled to specialized transportation to and from the non-resident school.

If a student is attending an MMSD school that is not their school of residence by way of a placement made by the IEP team and the student is eligible to receive specialized transportation, the student is entitled to specialized transportation to and from the non-resident school.

Providing specialized transportation on your own

The District has developed a procedure by which a parent of a child who is eligible for specialized transportation may enter into a contract to transport their child on their own and obtain reimbursement from the District. If you wish to discuss entering into a parent contract, please contact student services at 608-442-2914, or  your child’s special education teacher.

Increased supervision or one-on-one assistance during transport

The determination of whether one-on-one support or increased supervision is necessary during transport is an IEP team determination. Consequently, your child’s IEP team may determine that your child requires such support. If you believe that your child requires one-on-one support or increased supervision during transport, please contact your child’s special education teacher.

Pick-up or drop-off

The District does allow parents to select locations during the annual IEP process. All pick-up and drop-off locations must be within the attendance area for the student’s assigned school.

If a student who receives specialized transportation is either administratively transferred to or placed by their IEP or 504 team at a school that is not within the attendance area associated with the student’s primary residence, the student may receive specialized transportation to locations within the attendance area of the school they are attending or within the attendance area associated with the student’s primary residence.

End of the school day

Unless your child’s IEP team determines that he or she requires a shortened school day, specialized transportation will occur at approximately the same time that all other transportation is occurring for your child’s school.