Committee advances student transportation safety policy, seeks clarity on training and boarding protocols

The Duluth Public School District policy committee took up Policy 709 on Jan. 13 as a second reading, reviewing a draft that replaces Policies 3150 and 3160 and clarifies expectations around safe student transportation and rider responsibilities.

A committee member reported that district transportation staff reviewed the draft and that Jeremy, the district transportation manager, had no substantive changes after a January 6 review. Committee members discussed the policy’s cross-references and a specific passage noting that disciplinary consequences are outlined in the student handbook.

Members pressed staff for operational clarity. A committee member asked who tracks school-bus safety training; staff said training attendance is recorded at individual school sites rather than at the transportation office. The committee recited the district’s stated training schedule: students in kindergarten through sixth grade who are enrolled during the first or second week of school must receive bus-safety training by the end of the third week; kindergarten through third-grade students must receive training twice per school year; and students in grades seven through ten need training only if they did not receive it earlier while enrolled in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Committee members also asked whether the policy addresses the protocol for police officers or other authorized adults to board buses in response to alleged criminal activity. Members said the practice may be governed by state statute or contained in the student handbook; staff agreed to research whether a distinct district policy is needed and to report back before any final vote.

The policy remains at second reading pending the requested clarifications.