Board backs bus-behavior policy improvements; asks for clearer discipline chain and training
Summary
The school board agreed in workshop to send a revised transportation behavior policy to public hearing after asking staff to add training modules, camera evidence language and to cite the student code of conduct as the primary disciplinary standard; members flagged operational limits on bus drivers and ESE suspension consequences.
The Hillsborough County School Board directed staff to prepare a revised bus-behavior and harassment policy (56.10.04) for public hearing after workshop discussion about driver safety, discipline responsibility and the effects of bus suspensions on special-education students.
Member Perez said recent on-bus fights and safety incidents motivated the policy update. "There's been fights on these buses," Perez said, urging clearer consequences and protections for drivers.
Board members questioned who enforces discipline for incidents that occur on the bus and off campus. Transportation staff said bus drivers report incidents and school principals apply the student code of conduct; the district also records internal bus-camera footage that can support referrals. Transportation staff warned that suspending students from buses can have significant instructional consequences for ESE students: "If you have an ESE student who is suspended from the bus and doesn't come to school, it counts as a revocation and counts as their actual time away of their 10 days," staff said.
Board direction to staff included: (1) reference the applicable student code-of-conduct sections with the policy, (2) add language about driver training modules and posted bus rules, (3) include the role of bus cameras as evidence and (4) clarify the reporting/discipline chain so principals and families understand process and outcomes. Staff acknowledged operational constraints (drivers cannot reasonably stop routes to manage incidents) and budget limits on adding monitors.
Outcome: The board reached consensus to move the edited policy to public hearing; staff will return revised language and the cited portions of the student code of conduct.
