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Board reviews first reading of revised transportation policy, cites McKinney‑Vento and limits for care‑and‑treatment transportation
Summary
Board members reviewed a first reading of revised Board Policy 707 on March 12, returning the term "homeless" to the definitions to match the McKinney‑Vento Act and adding discretion to refuse certain care‑and‑treatment transportation requests beyond district operating parameters.
The St. Cloud Public School District Board of Education reviewed a first reading revision of Board Policy 707 (transportation of public school students) during its March 12 work session, with administrators citing federal and state statutory requirements and proposed clarifying language for transportation to care‑and‑treatment facilities.
Shannon Avinson, Assistant Superintendent of E12 Educational Services, said the draft policy largely reflects statute and model language from the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) and that one key change restores the term "homeless" in the policy’s definitions to align with the McKinney‑Vento Act. "When it comes to the definition, we felt strongly that we needed to go back to the actual definition that is within the McKinney‑Vento Act," Avinson said.
Avinson and district counsel recommended adding language to give the district discretion to decline transportation in a set of circumstances that other districts have adopted: when another care‑and‑treatment facility is at least 10 miles closer, when a facility is more than 50 miles outside district boundaries or more than a 60‑minute drive, or when transportation would be outside regular operating hours. Avinson said the 50‑mile / 60‑minute threshold was chosen after consultation with transportation and special‑education staff as reasonable for the district’s geography.
The proposed policy also formalizes consultation between special‑education teams (IEP/504) and transportation services when setting transport times, and reiterates that the district should not reduce a student’s treatment time because of scheduling decisions.
Avinson said the language was reviewed with legal advisor Amy Mace and with special‑education and transportation directors to ensure the district can follow the policy and to avoid overextending transportation resources. The document retains a long list of statutory references at the end.
Because the item was a first reading at a work session, board action was not taken; the policy will return for additional review and potential approval in a future meeting.
