By: West S.B. No. 1248
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to contracts with transit authorities, commercial
transportation companies, or juvenile boards.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Education Code, Section 34.008 is amended as
follows:
Sec. 34.008. CONTRACT WITH TRANSIT AUTHORITY [OR],
COMMERCIAL TRANSPORTATION COMPANY OR JUVENILE BOARD. (a) A board
of county school trustees or school district board of trustees may
contract with a mass transit authority, [or] a commercial
transportation company, or a juvenile board for all or any part of a
district's public school transportation if the authority, company
or board:
(1) requires its school bus drivers to have the
qualifications required by and to be certified in accordance with
standards established by the Department of Public Safety; and
(2) uses only those school buses or mass transit
authority buses in transporting 15 or more public school students
that meet or exceed safety standards for school buses established
under Section 34.002, Education Code.
(b) This section does not prohibit the county or school
district board from supplementing the state transportation cost
allotment with local funds necessary to provide complete
transportation services.
(c) A mass transit authority contracting under this section
for daily transportation of pre-primary, primary, or secondary
students to or from school shall conduct, in a manner and on a
schedule approved by the county or district school board, the
following education programs:
(1) a program to inform the public that public school
students will be riding on the authority's or company's buses;
(2) a program to educate the drivers of the buses to be
used under the contract of the special needs and problems of public
school students riding on the buses; and
(3) a program to educate public school students on bus
riding safety and any special considerations arising from the use
of the authority's or company's buses.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.