FAQs

It depends on where you live. All bus stops are outside suggested walk areas unless hazardous conditions are identified or other special circumstances are identified that require stops within walk areas. Students in grades K-12 who reside outside suggested walk areas will be transported to school from their assigned pick-up/drop-off location. 

Click here to find your child's bus stop. Call the Transportation office during normal business hours at 509-465-6107 to set up service. Families with students that have special needs should contact the Special Services department at 509-465-7600. 

If you use a childcare facility (daycare) that is both (1) within the school attendance area your child attends and (2) outside the school's suggested walk area and space is available on the bus, daycare students may ride the school bus. No stops will be added and no routes will be altered in order to accommodate daycare students. Please contact the transportation office (509-465-6107) to check your child's eligibility for daycare school bus transportation. To determine eligibility the Transportation Department will need the exact address of the childcare facility.

The Mead School District is funded to transport students only from home to school and from school to home. No requests for personalized busing services will be considered (i.e. transportation to birthday parties, music lessons, scouts, study groups, employment, etc.). Additionally, bus routing and stops will not be modified to accommodate any business or private enterprise.

Routes are designed to serve all students in an area in a safe and reasonable manner. Every effort is made to establish school bus stops near where students live. Additional considerations include keeping stops consistent for morning and afternoon routes. At the middle and high school level the number of stops on a route typically decreases and student may need to walk a bit further than they did in elementary school. Stop locations and distances may also vary depending on the number of students in the area and the area type (urban/rural) being served.

To request a bus stop be added or changed, please complete the form here: Request for Change/New Bus Stop. Each request is evaluated, which often includes a visit to the area by transportation administrators before a decision on the request is made. If a stop change is approved it typically takes 3-5 school days to implement. This allows us to notify other riders of the change and, when necessary, a bus or buses to be rerouted.

Yes, a request to provide transportation to the new school will be submitted by the school admin assistant and information regarding transportation to the new school will be communicated within 3-5 school days.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to transport their child to the choice school. However, if there is a bus route in the area; room on the existing bus for the student; no additional stop required to pick up the student; and if the transportation is provided on a DAILY basis, the Transportation Department can make an exception and transport the student. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to transport their child to the existing bus stop, which is where they will be picked-up and dropped-off each day. Please contact the transportation office (509-465-6107) to inquire about space availability.

This decision is made through the special education team process. Once the IEP team has determined there is a need for specialized transportation, a request is filled out from the Special Services Department. The transportation office will add your child to a specialized transportation bus route and provide you with bus information.

School buses are thoroughly inspected by the Washington State Patrol (WSP) twice each year. Additionally, our buses are inspected by district personnel on a scheduled basis and routinely serviced. Traveling in a school bus is the safest form of ground transportation in the world.

Our buses pass by the homes of many students when traveling to and from school. To stop at individual homes along the way would greatly impact route efficiency. It would add time to the route and students would not get to school on time. 

Yes, there are certain roads and areas in the district where buses do not travel for a variety of reasons. If you have questions about a particular road please contact the transportation office at 509-465-6107.

Parents and other adults are generally not allowed to ride school buses with the exception of school field trips. School buses are provided for students to ride to and from school . . . not as a form of transportation for parents or the general public.

The Mead SD Transportation Department is always looking for substitute drivers and offers training opportunities several times throughout the year. To learn more please call us at 509-465-6107.

Yes . . . To keep students safe and to follow state law, the following items are not allowed on a school bus:

• Oversized objects, such as athletic equipment and large musical instruments that cannot fit safely on a student's lap or between their legs in a seat. Large objects restrict a student's ability to board the bus without harming themselves and others or damaging the bus. State law (WAC 392-145-021) requires objects to sit lower than the window ledge, which is approximately 29 inches high in a school bus.
• Glass objects such as bottles or jars.
• Open containers of food and drink or gum.
• Items that do not fit securely in a backpack: skateboards, balloons, etc.