Contact Information
Mrs. Joyce Dahlstrom, Terminal Manager
Student Transportation of America
Phone Number: 724-872-5490
Mrs. Lisa Trayter, Administrative Assistant
trayterl@youghsd.net
Phone Number: 724-446-7272 Extension 1007
Fax Number: 724-446-5017
FAQ
Q. The bus drives right past my house. Why can’t it stop at my house?
A. The higher frequency of stops makes the motoring public impatient. This results in people attempting to drive around the bus, which creates a dangerous situation. It also delays the bus by increasing the number of stops and makes the student ride time longer. Stops are placed to be central to groups of students in a subdivision or specific area.
Q. I can’t see the bus stop from my house.
A. Yough School District provides transportation for more than 2,200 students. The District is not able to position bus stops so that all parents are able to see the stop from their home.
Q. Who is responsible for students at school bus stops?
A. Parents are solely responsible for their child(ren) at school bus stops. It is important that parents monitor their child’s behavior and ensure that their child(ren) wait for the school bus in a safe location away from the road.
Q. Can my child go home with his/her friend after school? I won’t be home.
A. School bus policy does not provide for students to ride home with friends. The bus driver has a roster with the names of students authorized to ride his/her particular bus. If a student attempts to ride a friend’s bus home, the student will be denied access and told to return to their regular bus.
Q. I need a temporary change of bus assignment for my child because of an emergency.
A. Requests for a temporary change will be considered in the following situations:
1. Death in the family.
2. Hospitalization of an immediate family member.
3. Temporary guardian due to absence from home of parent or guardian
Requests for a temporary change due to a parent’s absence from home usually occurs because of a business obligation or court appearance. Please contact the main office of the student's school building and transportation department at least a day in advance during circumstances when conflicts in schedules are known.
Q. I am moving. How do I notify transportation?
A. As soon as you know you are moving, it is important to notify the school(s) your child(ren) is/are attending. The school personnel will take care of notifying other departments of the address change. The transportation department is included in this process.
Q. I am required to be at my Elementary Student’s assigned bus stop for discharge; what if I am late or unable to be at the stop at the designated time?
A. The bus driver is not permitted to discharge an Elementary student unless an adult is at the stop to receive the student. If no adult is present the bus drive will return to their school and the parent will be contacted to pick up their child.
Q. I regularly meet my elementary student at his bus stop for discharge but occasionally I am late; will the bus driver wait for me?
A. If you are not at the stop the bus driver will return the student to their school and the parent will be contacted to pick up their child.
Q. How far may a child be asked to walk to a school bus stop?
A. The law allows a district to ask a child, regardless of age, to walk up to a mile and a half to a bus stop. The mile and a half is measured by public roads and does not include any private lane or walkway of the child’s residence. Yough School District works with the guidelines of no more than ½ mile.
Q. I think the road my child has to walk along is hazardous. What can I do?
A. The law provides for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to review potentially hazardous walking routes. The request for this review must be made by the school district to the local PennDOT engineering district office. PennDOT regulations do not address hazards other than road or traffic conditions. The local district may assess conditions such as bad neighborhoods, secluded wooded areas, snow removal, etc., when developing transportation routes.
Q. How long may a child be required to ride on a bus?
A. This is a local decision (based on geography, population distribution, etc.). There are no time limits set by law or regulations.
Q. What can I do about transportation problems such as (1) the bus was late, (2) the bus never came, (3) the bus stop location seems dangerous, (4) the bus driver is speeding, and (5) another child hit my child on the bus?
A. You must work with your school district to address such problems.
Q. May a district suspend busing services for a child?
A. Yes. Transportation is a privilege, not a right.
Q. I think the bus my child rides on is overloaded. What can I do?
A. Address your concern to the school district. The district will conduct a population survey on the bus in question during a five day period.
Q. Can my child be dropped off at the Denny’s restaurant in Smithton for employment?
A. No, the school board policy does not provide transportation for work purposes or other non-school related activities.
Q. Do you or the bus company have a lost and found?
A. Many items become lost on buses. The drive will either keep the item, hoping that the student will ask for it, or the driver will give it to the garage office. The Transportation Department does not maintain a lost and found. If items found in the garage are returned over to us, we in turn, take them to the building the child attends.
Q. My child will be attending a private in-home daycare. How do I arrange this with your office?
A. You need to notify the Transportation office in writing (on-line form available by clicking here) that your child will be attending, when and where. The district will consider your request. Students can be assigned to bus routes only within the elementary attendance area they reside. These requests will be approved, provided they do not cause an overload to the bus route.
Q. What time should I have my child at the bus stop?
A. We ask that students arrive approximately ten minutes before the scheduled pick-up time. There will be fluctuations in the schedule, especially during the first few weeks of the school year. We ask for your patience, pick-up and drop-off times become more consistent after the first few weeks of the school year. Please use these more consistent times when planning your trip to the bus stop.
Q. Are school districts required to transport students?
A. Pennsylvania law does not require a school district to provide transportation for its students.
Q. When does a district have to provide transportation to a charter school?
A. The law requires school districts to provide transportation to resident students attending a charter school “on such dates and periods that the charter school is in "regular session” if:
The charter school is located within the district, or
The charter school is located not more than ten miles by the nearest public highway beyond the district boundary, or
The charter school is a regional charter school in which the district is participating.
Q. Why is my child’s bus late?
A. Weather, traffic, driver absenteeism, maintenance difficulties and unforeseen incidents are responsible for delays in arrival of school buses. Please know that we do everything possible to have all buses running on schedule each and every day. In the event your bus does not arrive as scheduled, contact the transportation department at 724.446.7272 ext 1007. If you do not reach anyone in the transportation department call Student Transportation of America (STA) at 724.872.5490. Please know the bus number of your child’s bus to be directed to the correct garage.
Q. We live on a cul-de-sac. Will the bus come down our street?
A. Buses are generally not routed into a cul-de-sac. Cul-de-sac stops are considered unwise for the following reasons.
1. Cul-de-sac stops create blind spots, often causing students to enter or exit in a “danger zone” around the bus (at a corner stop or street curb stop, they enter/exit outside the danger zone).
2. Different styles and sizes of buses make maneuvering in cul-de-sacs difficult.
3. The rear of the bus has potential to swing around close to the sidewalk.
4. Parked cars and other obstacles create road hazards that may not be seen until entering the cul-de-sac and at a point of no return.
5. Property damage to mailboxes and landscaping.
6. Backing up a bus to turn around in a cul-de-sac creates a dangerous situation.
Q. Why can’t a bus come further into my subdivision or cul-de-sac?
A. Buses come in various lengths, widths, heights and weights. The length is what limits the school bus to be maneuvered in cul-de-sacs and tight places. Most subdivisions are not designed with school bus transportation in mind.
Now Hiring!
Call 724-872-5490
Student Transportation of America is now hiring for drivers and monitors.
Transportation Form
If you are in need of a Student Transportation Form please contact your buildings main office.
High School- 724-446-5520
Middle School- 724-872-5164
HW Good- 724-446-5503
Mendon- 724-872-6484
West Newton- 724-872-5877
