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Transportation

Director of Transportation and Student Safety

Tim Owsley

970-328-1939
Fleet Manager

Chad Eaton

970-328-2741
Office Manager (Se habla Español):

Tirza Tarango

970-328-2743
Dispatch Coordinator, Smart Tag, Extra-Curricular Activities

Donna Jo Long

970-328-2744
Routing Coordinator and Bus Stop Information

Brittnee Heflin

970-328-2745
Driver Trainer and Student Behavior Specialist

Brittany Hill

970-328-2874

Transportation

Click above to access the Smart Tag Parent Portal

Smart Tag bus passes are required to ride the bus. All ECS students that wish to ride the bus will be required to produce a Smart Tag bus pass each time they ride their assigned school bus. Eligible riders will initially receive free a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card, much like a ski pass, that will be required for the student to board the bus. The assigned card will be good for the life of the student's ECS career. For the security of the student, photos will not appear on the face of the card. All individual student information will be stored on a password-protected system, that only the parent or guardian of the student assigned to the individual RFID card will be able to access. If your child has lost their pass please call 970-328-2744 for assistance or go to myschoolbucks.com. The cost for a replacement bus pass is $5.00, plus graduating student behavior reports up to the loss of riding privileges for the remainder of the school year.
Once the $5.00 is received in our office we will print the new pass and get it to the bus driver usually within 2 days.
Support@smart-tag.net can link siblings together or call them @ 855-604-6344 with any questions

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Bus passes are the property of Eagle County Schools and to be used for school district pusposes only. PLEASE DO NOT PUNCTURE! For the safety of all students bus passes are required to ride any school bus. Purposefully damaging the pass card by punching holes, chewing or defacing the card in any way will be considered an act that may cause a 3-day suspension from riding the bus and requires the purchase of a replacement pass. All costs associated with replacing a pass are the sole responsibility of the student and parent or legal guardian.

Please explain to your child that drivers do not wait for running students. Most student accidents happen from slipping and falling while running. To discourage this unsafe practice, we don't wait for runners and instead ask that children arrive at their five minutes prior to the bus stop arrival time to catch the bus.

You will find your student's route information by registering with Smart Tag. Once registered--- Under the Student's Route Tab you will find the bus #, Stop assigned and the time. Please check it often as times do change with new enrollment or bus stop changes.

IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE / ASISTENCIA INMEDIATA    FAQS & GUIDELINES / PREGUNTAS FREQUENTES Y REGLAS GENERALES


Why Smart Tag?    How does it work? ¿Cómo Funciona?

Space Available Transportation

The transportation of Variance/Transfer students is available on a Space Available basis on routes that have the capacity/room to do so. Please complete a Space Available Transportation Request form and return it to the Transportation Department no later than September 1st of this school year. Notification of the approval or denial of your request shall be made to you no later than September 15th of each school year. Please plan to transport your student until you have been verified and authorized to ride a requested route. DO NOT drop your student at a bus stop until your student has been approved to ride!

Please note: should student numbers of the regularly assigned students to a bus increase to above those in the calculations below, then Transfer/Variance students will no longer be transported. Parents will be notified in the event that this happens so as to make other transportation arrangements.

School Bus Routes are Available Only Through Smart Tag's Parent Portal!

The following procedures will be used to determine appropriate capacity:

Based on the load counts and the 65 passenger bus, we will use the following limits:
At the beginning of the school year, load counts, for each day of the week, on every route will be collected. The greatest number of students will be the number used to determine if a route has appropriate room to transport any additional students, regardless of the day.
- Elementary students: 60 per bus
- Middle school students: 50 per bus
- High school students: 45 per bus
- Mixed students on a bus
  - Middle & Elementary 55
  - High School & Middle 50

Bus Notes

We are unable to allow students to ride any bus other than their own unless previously approved as a "Space Available" rider. Exceptions to this would be for a student that needs to get off their own assigned route but at a stop different than their own. All bus notes MUST have the approval of a school official. Spanish notes must be translated for the driver. Students shall provide their notes to the driver upon boarding the bus for verification.

PRESCHOOL AGED STUDENTS

ALL PRESCHOOLERS may only be released to an approved Parent or Guardian, that is at least 18 years old. There are no exceptions! For the safety of all riders/students, buses are unable to wait for parents that are late. Students will be returned to their school for parent pickup.

Join us and become part our our team as a bus driver!

Apply Here

Get the Info

Use the info boxes below to find more information about the guidelines and resources from the Transportation Department.

Walk Safely

Bike Safety Rules

School Bus Safety

Transportation FAQs

Parent Guide

Guía para Padres

Students with Disabilities

FAQs / Preguntas Frecuentes

NHTSA - School Buses

My School Bucks

PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES Y reglas generales

FREQUENT ASKED QUESTIONS AND GUIDELINES

Where can I find my child’s bus route information?

Routes will no longer be available on our webpage for safety reasons. Parents that have eligible students that ride a bus will be able to view their bus information in the Smart Tag Parent Portal.

Lost and Found

All items left on the bus shall be sent to the school office. Transportation does NOT have a lost and found area.

What is the seating capacity of a school bus?

The maximum capacity of our standard school buses is anywhere from 65 to 77 passengers. This means that it is legal to have 77 students, no matter how large, riding on the bus. However, Eagle County Schools recognizes the safety concerns and problems associated with loading buses to maximum capacity. The general guidelines used are:

Grades K-8: three students to a seat
Grades 9-12: two students to a seat

It is our intent to have an ideal, comfortable seating for every student. However, to be fiscally efficient, some routes are more crowded than others, which means that some buses are at capacity. We constantly work to shift bus stops to different routes if possible to maximize space; however, most buses are very full. Standees or sitting on the floor will not be permitted under any circumstance.

Why does our school bus not have seat belts?

The main answer, at least for school buses (virtually all research on buses and seatbelts has focused on school buses), is that seatbelts do not make school buses safer. Overall, travel on a school bus is the safest way to travel - 40 times safer than riding in a car - with only a handful of deaths occurring to passengers on school buses every year.

The explanation for the safety of school buses is explained by a concept called compartmentalization. In compartmentalization, the seats on the school bus are placed very close to each other and have high backs that are very padded. As a result, in an accident, the student would be propelled forward a very short distance into a padded seatback that in a way is like an early version of an airbag. This is why it is so important the students sit properly when riding to and from school. The rule is back to back, bottom to bottom. In addition, the fact that people sit high off the ground in school buses also adds to the safety, as the impact location with an automobile would occur beneath the seats.

If my child is having trouble with other students on the bus, who should I contact?

The school bus is considered an extension of the classroom where students are responsible and accountable for their actions. Contact the dispatch office at 970.401.9465 to report any concerns. For actions that happen on the bus, the transportation department will handle the issue and apply appropriate disciplinary actions if necessary.

If I have a safety concern about my child's bus driver, who should I contact?

If you have a concern regarding the driving ability of your child's bus driver, the dispatcher should be contacted at 970.328.2570, or you may call the director at 970.328.1939.

I need to talk with my students’ driver. Why won’t he/she talk with me?

Drivers are not able to stop and chat with parents for safety reasons. They are not only holding up traffic, but also have a strict schedule to follow to get all of their students to and from school. Drivers have been instructed NOT to open the door for anyone they do not recognize unless students recognize the person. If this is not someone that the driver recognizes, the driver will instruct the person to come to the driver’s window or drive to next stop if the driver feels unsafe. Drivers will give parents a transportation business card with the dispatcher and the director's phone numbers to call with questions or concerns.

Can the bus driver change a stop location or add a new stop to the bus route?

No. For safety reasons and to be fiscally responsible the district currently uses safe, consolidated neighborhood locations as bus stops. Bus stop changes or additions are only made if there is a serious safety concern for the students. Any request for a change to a stop location or for the addition of a bus stop must be made through the scheduling department at 970.328.2745. After reviewing the request, the transportation department will decide whether the request will be approved or denied, and notification will be given to the person making the request, the school, and the bus operator.

Who is responsible for my child on the way to and from the bus stop?

The parent/guardian is responsible for the safety and conduct of the child/children on the way to and from the bus stop and while they are waiting at the bus stop.

What should I do if my child does not get off the bus at home in the afternoon?

If your child does not arrive home in the afternoon, the first step should be to contact the school to see if the child is still there. If the student is not at the school, the next step would be to contact the transportation dispatcher. The driver will be contacted to see if the child is on the bus, or if perhaps the student has gotten off the bus at a location other than their assigned stop. If you cannot contact the school, then please contact the transportation dispatcher at 970.328.2570 and we will help you as much as possible.

My child has a long bus ride. Why can't he/she have a snack or a drink on the ride home from school?

Eating and drinking are not allowed on the bus for safety reasons such as:

Some students have a very severe reaction to some foods, such as peanut butter.
A child could choke on a piece of food and with the high seat backs and noise on the bus, the driver may not be aware of the situation until it is too late.
Left-over food and drink not only causes a mess, but also can attract bees and wasps. Many students have severe allergies to bee and wasp stings.

It is safer for everyone when the no eating and drinking rule is adhered to.

Who is making the decisions regarding delays and cancellations and who is responsible for relaying that information to the public?

The decision to cancel school buses is a shared responsibility between the transportation director or assignee and the superintendent. The process incorporates real-time weather/road condition reports from a number of spotters throughout the district, as well as the most current weather information available. Cancellation or delayed start information is relayed to local media and updated onto the www.eagleschools.net website by 6:00 a.m.

At what time in the morning will school late start or cancellations information be available to the public?

All weather decisions are relayed to the public no later than 6:00 a.m. Please check the Eagle County Schools website or stations listed below for further emergency information.
KTUN – KKCH – KSKE – KQSE – KZYR - TV8 - ECO TV - Channel 9/KUSA, - , Channel - 7/KMGH Channel - 4/KCNC - Channel 2/WB2 - KWGN - Channel 31 - Fox 31 - KOA/Radio 850 - Vail Daily.com

My student forgot about an appointment and the driver would not let him/her off of the bus.

Unless a teacher with an ECS ID (or one that the driver recognizes) is present to take the student off of the bus, or mom or dad comes to the bus and has an appropriate ID and student identifies that they are their parent the driver will take the student to their bus stop, students may NOT get off of the bus without an approved adult while still on school property!!

Why can’t my student bring his/her instrument on board the bus for their band class?

First, many of our buses are scheduled so that we have the highest number of students riding as possible. This makes it tough transporting anything other than the students and their backpacks to and from school safely. Backpacks are already pretty large and create tight seating quarters, even on buses where there are only two students per seat.

Second, we do have some routes that are not so crowded and we can allow instruments up to the size of a guitar (which really is almost too big), but anything larger than that is too much for other students to have to be seated with. Usually, the student with the extra item sits with the instrument next to them in the seat, by themselves, which takes a seat away from another student and means that some students will have to sit three per seat. While this is legal, it is not pleasant for the students that have to sit three to a seat just so another student can bring an instrument. And that’s just one instrument. Imagine several.

Here are the safety issues that prevent us from being able to transport additional/larger items:

In the event of a crash, the items are not secured and become objects that create more injury to students during the crash. Moreover, it prevents and/or blocks the evacuation path of students in the event of the need to be evacuated.
If the bus is overly crowded, the item/instrument would have to remain at the bus stop. We never know, from day to day, if the bus will be crowded or not. We are also not responsible for that item when left and they can be very expensive.
How do we determine the number of large items allowed before we have to say no and then whom do we decide cannot bring a large item?

If I have a question, where can I get the answer?

You can contact the Transportation Department at appropriate numbers below. We will be happy to answer any questions or concerns.

Main Dispatch 970-328-2570

WHY SMART TAG?

One of the biggest worries a parent, teacher and school district can have is when there is a need to quickly locate a missing student. Unfortunately, this can be a daily occurrence, even with students in our district. For any of us in this situation, it is a very frantic and stressful time until the student is located. The need for Eagle County Schools to help provide a faster, more efficient way to help determine a student’s location is a vital one for all parties especially when a child does not come home from school or is not where they should be.

In looking for a solution, we researched many systems until we found a product that not only would help narrow the window of time it takes to locate a student, but also would also help us to know, without a doubt, that we are dropping students at their correct bus stops. It was decided at the board level that the need for such a system was paramount to the safety of all our students.

We chose Smart Tag for its multiple functions and minimal costs to the district.

Smart Tag is a student pass system that utilizes RFID technology, much like a ski pass, and cloud-connected tablets, allowing for real-time, accurate information in a secure and affordable way. Smart Tag will help us provide a faster-informed response to worried parents and guardians looking for their child.

All school offices and our dispatchers will have the ability to immediately “see” if the student got on a bus and where and when they got off, providing rapid and immediate information for parents to narrow their search time and area.

According to SafetyCops.com, “The less time lapsed between when the child is missing and when a search begins, the better the chance for recovery." Our goal is to assist in locating the student as soon as possible. This system will significantly reduce the amount of time it would take for a parent or police officer to find the child.

For the system to work effectively, it will require students to touch their pass to an RFID reader as they enter the bus, and again as they get off the bus, allowing drivers to see each student’s picture on a green screen, indicating they are an authorized rider, or red screen, for a student who is not. This will prevent a student from incorrectly being transported on the wrong bus or getting off at the wrong stop. This is especially important for our younger students who often forget where their stop is or for sub-drivers who may not know students and their correct stops.

To date, all students who had been reported as missing were found safe and unharmed. Our concern is that there may be a time when a parent cannot find their child. We believe that Smart Tag will provide our families the ability to quickly identify whether a student has ridden their correct bus, and eliminate the often time-consuming search of all of our school buses. This new system will expedite the process for parents and law enforcement to navigate from the student’s last point of contact.

Smart Tag also has many other time- and cost-saving features, including:

A GPS allowing for parents with the Smart Alerts app the ability to know when the student scans on and off and their locations.
Allowing school administrators to identify where their buses are along on the routes and which students are on board in the event of an emergency.
Listing which bus stop a kindergartner/new rider is assigned to be dropped off, virtually eliminating incorrect drops.
Allowing for immediate contact of emergency responders by the driver in case the bus radio is not functioning.
Providing emergency alerts about medical and updates of students.
An end-of-route student bus check reminder system.
Giving parent/guardian authorization alerts.
Allowing the driver to pre-trip and post-trip the bus electronically.
Remotely sending reports of bus issues to mechanics for quicker repairs.
Issuing immediate reports for number of student names, busloads counts, late buses, fuel use, speed reports, off route reports, and route times.

And the list goes on.

The system was invented and developed by a bus driver, so the actual needs of a driver and their students have been carefully planned within the system. Currently, there is no other system that can fully provide this type of detailed information for bus drivers.

We look forward to better serving our district families, schools, and community with this exciting new level of student protection technology.

As of October 1, 2018, all ECS students that wish to ride the bus will be required to produce a Smart Tag bus pass each time they ride their assigned school bus. Eligible riders will receive a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card, much like a ski pass, that will be required for the student to board the bus. The assigned card will be good for the life of the student's ECS career, which means it needs to be kept from year to year. For the security of the student, photos will not appear on the face of the card. All individual student information will be stored in a password-protected system, that only the parent or guardian of the student assigned to the individual RFID card will be able to access.

If your child loses his/her pass, the first time a fee of $5.00 will be assessed. The second, and each subsequent, time the fee will be $10.00. The passes have a chip in them and therefore cannot be bent in half and/or have any holes punched in them. You should have your child put their pass in a secure place in their backpacks so that they will always have them readily available to them. Please see the transportation webpage for more information: http://www.eagleschools.net/parents/transportation. Click on the link that says, “SMART TAG FAQS & GUIDELINES / PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES DEL PASE NUEVO.”

**************************************************

Comenzando el 2 de octubre, 2017, todos los estudiantes de ECS que deseen transportarse en autobús tendrán que presentar el pase de autobús Smart Tag cada vez que quieran subir a su autobús escolar asignado. Los alumnos elegibles recibirán una tarjeta de Identificación de Frecuencia de Radio (RFID por sus siglas en inglés), así como un pase de esquiar, el cual será requerido para subir al autobús escolar. Esta tarjeta asignada durará mientras el estudiante esté en las Escuelas del Condado Eagle, lo que significa que la tendrán que presentar de año en año. Por seguridad del estudiante, no aparecerá ninguna fotografía del estudiante en la tarjeta. Toda la información del estudiante será guardada en un sistema protegido con una contraseña, el cual sólo podrán acceder el padre de familia o tutor del alumno asignado a esta tarjeta RFID individual.

Si su hijo pierde su pase, la primera vez se cobrarán $5.00. La segunda vez y cada vez posterior habrá un costo de $10.00. Dentro de los pases hay un chip y por lo tanto no pueden ser doblados por mitad ni deben ser perforados. Deben pedirle a su hijo que guarde su pase en su mochila en un lugar seguro para que lo tenga disponible. Por favor visiten la página de internet de transportación: http://www.eagleschools.net/parens/transportation. Hagan clic al enlace que dice, “SMART TAG FAQS Y GUIDELINES / PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES DEL PASE NUEVO”.

Explore

Transportation

Space Available Transportation

The following procedures will be used to determine appropriate capacity:

Bus Notes

PRESCHOOL AGED STUDENTS

Join us and become part our our team as a bus driver!

Get the Info

Questions / Preguntas

Complaints / Quejas

FREQUENT ASKED QUESTIONS AND GUIDELINES

Where can I find my child’s bus route information?

Lost and Found

What is the seating capacity of a school bus?

Why does our school bus not have seat belts?

If my child is having trouble with other students on the bus, who should I contact?

If I have a safety concern about my child's bus driver, who should I contact?

I need to talk with my students’ driver. Why won’t he/she talk with me?

Can the bus driver change a stop location or add a new stop to the bus route?

Who is responsible for my child on the way to and from the bus stop?

What should I do if my child does not get off the bus at home in the afternoon?

My child has a long bus ride. Why can't he/she have a snack or a drink on the ride home from school?

Who is making the decisions regarding delays and cancellations and who is responsible for relaying that information to the public?

At what time in the morning will school late start or cancellations information be available to the public?

My student forgot about an appointment and the driver would not let him/her off of the bus.

Why can’t my student bring his/her instrument on board the bus for their band class?

If I have a question, where can I get the answer?

WHY SMART TAG?

Walk Safely

Bike Safety Rules

DO

DON’T

REGLAS DE SEGURIDAD AL CAMINAR

LO QUE DEBES HACER

LO QUE NO DEBES HACER

School Bus Safety

Transportation FAQs

FREQUENT ASKED QUESTIONS AND GUIDELINES

Where can I find my child’s bus route information?

Lost and Found

What is the seating capacity of a school bus?

Why does our school bus not have seat belts?

If my child is having trouble with other students on the bus, who should I contact?

If I have a safety concern about my child's bus driver, who should I contact?

I need to talk with my students’ driver. Why won’t he/she talk with me?

Can the bus driver change a stop location or add a new stop to the bus route?

Who is responsible for my child on the way to and from the bus stop?

What should I do if my child does not get off the bus at home in the afternoon?

My child has a long bus ride. Why can't he/she have a snack or a drink on the ride home from school?

Who is making the decisions regarding delays and cancellations and who is responsible for relaying that information to the public?

At what time in the morning will school late start or cancellations information be available to the public?

My student forgot about an appointment and the driver would not let him/her off of the bus.

Why can’t my student bring his/her instrument on board the bus for their band class?

If I have a question, where can I get the answer?

Parent Guide

Guía para Padres

Students with Disabilities

FAQs / Preguntas Frecuentes

SMART TAG FAQS AND GUIDELINES

WHAT IS SMART TAG?

How it Works

Student NFC ID Cards

What is NFC?

Parent Portal and Notifications

How does SMART Tag benefit transportation departments and school administrators?

How does SMART tag benefit drivers?

What information will the bus driver be able to see when the student swipes his/her card?

Is student information stored on the SMART tag ID?

Are SMART tag ID badges required to ride the bus?

Will students be eligible to ride the bus if they lose or forget their SMART Tag ID Card?

What are the consequences of not having their SMART Tag ID card?

Transportation Office Hours of operation

Who should be contacted if a student loses his/her badge?

Will students receive a SMART tag ID badge every year?

Can I purchase additional SMART Tag ID badges?

How will SMART tag determine the correct route/bus for students with multiple and/or alternating destinations?

NHTSA - School Buses

My School Bucks