Transportation - Litchfield Elementary School District

The mission statement of the Litchfield Elementary School District #79 Transportation Department is:

To provide safe and timely transportation to and from school for all eligible students.
Provide a safe atmosphere on the bus so all students feel comfortable and non-threatened.
The transportation staff is dedicated to meeting the needs of students, parents, the administration, and general public in the common goal of helping our students succeed successfully in all areas of education.

LESD79 Introduces BusQuest Mobile App for Transportation Services

We are excited to announce the launch of BusQuest, a new mobile app designed to streamline our transportation services and enhance transportation communication with families. With BusQuest, you can easily register your students for bus services and to receive important updates.

We encourage all families to download the BusQuest app to register their children for transportation services and to ensure a smooth and efficient transportation experience for your children. Thank you for your continued support in making our district the best it can be!

Please click this link for the transportation registration parent portal and register your student’s transportation needs.

Download the app:

View our Guide for BusQuest

Transportation Department
Main Office: 623-547-1571
Fax: 623-853-8082

DISPATCH DESK: 623-547-1577

Transportation Email

Office Hours: Monday - Friday
School Year (2 weeks before school year starts - Memorial Day)
6:00 AM - 5:30 PM

Summer hours (Memorial Day - 2 weeks before School Starts)
6:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Director of Transportation
Jennifer Tassin
623-547-1571

Assistant Director of Transportation
Mashayla Kleinman
623-547-1572

Transportation Supervisor
Mark Chaves
623-547-1573

Mailing Address:
272 East Sagebrush Street
Litchfield Park, AZ 85340

Physical Address:
18921 West Thomas Road
Building A
Litchfield Park, AZ 85340

Bus Expectations

Student Discipline Matrix

Student Discipline on School Buses

Students who have the opportunity to ride a Litchfield Elementary School District bus may do so as long as they display behavior that is reasonable and safe. Choosing to follow unacceptable behavior will result in loss of bus service. The Student Transporter is responsible for the safety and discipline of students on the bus.

Student Transporters must handle student misbehavior that threatens passenger safety or distracts the driver. Every attempt will be made to contact a parent/guardian when student behavior is a concern. Our Student Management plan promotes an environment where students, parents, school staff and Student Transporters work together to solve student behavior concerns before a student loses bus privileges.

Misconduct on the school bus is categorized into three categories: Minor Offenses, Major Offenses, and Severe Offenses. Below is a chart giving examples of each category and the consequences that will follow:

MINOR OFFENSES	MAJOR OFFENSES	SEVERE OFFENSES
Failure to obey authority	Refusal to respect authority	Use or possession of tobacco, alcohol, or and controlled substance
Profanity and obscene gestures	Failure to show ID or false ID	Use of flammable objects
Eating, drinking, and/or chewing gum	Throwing object in, at, or from school bus	Possession of explosive device, gun, or knife
Not being seated properly	Harassment of student or Student Transporter	Fighting/assault of Student Transporter or another student
Standing while bus in motion	Possession of instrument construed as a weapon	Placing any part of body outside of the school bus window
Pushing, shoving, kicking	Destroying/vandalizing property	Operating controls without Student Transporter consent
Littering	Impeding movement of the school bus	Operating emergency exits or equipment in a non-emergency situation
Excessive noise	Distraction of Student Transporter	Attempting to hold onto the the exterior of the school bus at bus stop
Unacceptable materials	Spitting	Pointing any weapon at the school bus
Crossing behind the bus at bus stop	Possession of glass objects
Continuously late to bus stop
Riding unassigned bus or getting off at unassigned stop without permission
CONSEQUENCES	CONSEQUENCES	CONSEQUENCES
See Student Agenda for Discipline Matrix	See Student Agenda for Discipline Matrix	See Student Agenda for Discipline Matrix

A suspension from the school bus includes ALL of Litchfield Elementary School buses including field trips and ball games.

School Administration reserves the right to adjust suspension times based on severity of the incident and if multiple infractions occur.

When a student loses their bus riding privileges, a staff member from the Transportation Department will contact the parent/guardian by phone to confirm the suspension dates. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached after multiple attempts, a letter will be sent home with the student in an envelope for the parents/guardian.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Transportation Department Hours?
The office is staffed from 6:00 AM - 5:30 PM Monday through Friday when school is in session. Office hours may vary when school is not in session. Voice mail is available 24 hours per day and will be checked each morning and throughout the day.

How early should my child be at the bus stop?
Students are requested to be at the bus stop five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time each morning.

What if my child's bus is late in the morning or afternoon?
Although we strive to keep our buses on time all the time, there will be times when the bus may run late due to unforeseen circumstances such as traffic, weather, or other issues. If your child's bus is more than 15 minutes late, please call the Transportation Department at 623-535-6070.

Why does the Student Transporter assign seats?
Our Student Transporters are required to assign seats per department policy. Assigned seating makes loading the buses more efficient because each student already knows where to sit and is not trying to find a seat. Assigned seating also helps reduce vandalism and littering on the buses. Every Litchfield Elementary School District school bus has a letter above the seat to assist your child with remembering where they are supposed to sit.

Why don't buses go into gated communities?
Buses will not enter gated communities for two main reasons:

If the gate malfunctions and will not open while the bus driver is trying to enter, the bus will have to back out onto a street putting everyone on the bus at risk. In the event that the driver is in the community and the exit gate malfunctions, the bus will now be late until a solution is found.
Many of the gated communities access code boxes are too low for a driver to reach from the bus and the driver is not allowed to leave the bus with students on board at anytime.

Why can't the bus pick up my children in front of my house?
Bus stops are created as central points to minimize stopping and starting the buses as much as possible. Each time the bus stops, the amount of time students are on the bus gets longer and fuel efficiency is decreased. For the most part, the communities of our district have sidewalks throughout them and walking to a bus stop is completely safe. We attempt to place bus stops in common areas such as green-spaces, mailboxes, parks, schools, etc. Arizona Department of Public Safety Student Transportation Department also mandates that school bus stops are to be a minimum of 600 feet apart from each other.

Can my child ride home with a friend on occasion?
In most cases, yes they can. Please contact the Transportation Department at 623-535-6070 the day before your child is to ride home with a friend, so our routing specialist can make sure there is room on the bus for an extra rider. Also, please send a note with your child to school stating that you give permission for them to ride home with another student. Please include the other student's name on the note, and the bus they would like to ride. Students must take this note to the office at the beginning of the day and have it signed by an office staff member. If the note is given to the Student Transporter in the afternoon WITHOUT approval from an office staff member, they will need to ride their regular bus home or call a parent to be picked up.

How do I become a Student Transporter?

Student Transporter Training

All Litchfield Elementary School District Student Transporters are required to adhere to strict training standards from the date they are hired and throughout the duration of their career.

When a Student Transporter is hired into our school district, they go through an interview process, background check, drug testing, physical examination, and then the training finally begins. Training consists of 14 hours of classroom instruction, 20 hours of behind the wheel training, First Aid/CPR certifications, and finally a road test with the Arizona Motor Vehicle Department.

Once a Student Transporter is certified to drive a school bus, the training does not stop. Student Transporters are still required to attend quarterly in-service meetings, complete 6 1/2 hours of refresher training every 2 years, keep their physical and First Aid/CPR certifications up to date.

We assure you that only the safest drivers will be transporting your children to and from school and on field trips.

Transportation Request Form Special Education

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