Transportation Eligibility Request for General Education Students for the 
2021-2022 School Year

It is the mission of the Cartwright School District’s Transportation Department to transport students to and from school in a safe, efficient, dependable, professional and courteous manner, while providing the highest quality of support for educational programs by delivering the best possible transportation services.

Bus transportation is not mandated by the legislature, but a privilege offered by the Cartwright School District.  If you ever have a suggestion or concern please do not hesitate to reach out to our team.

Every general education student eligible for transportation must fill out a bus application each school year in order to ride the bus.  Applications are due by July 10th prior to the start of the new school year.  Please check the eligibility requirements prior to filling out the application or call transportation at 623-691-4093 with questions.

Click Here to fill out the Bus Application

Transportation Services are offered to:

General Education Students: Kindergarten through eighth grade students who are residents within a school attendance area and who live more than a one mile radius from school.  Transportation services are offered to the following school sites for general education students residing in the bus area.  Bus stops are assigned within a general location of where all students reside and must meet state regulations for safety.  Bus stops must be at least 50 feet from an intersection without traffic control signals and 100 feet from an intersection with traffic control signals.  Bus stops are reviewed carefully on an ongoing basis for safety.

Schools with general educating transportation services:

Bret T. Tarver Leadership Academy

Cartwright Elementary School (south of I-10 only)

Desert Sands Middle School

Estrella Middle School

Heather brae Elementary

Holiday Park Elementary

Manuel “Lito” Peña Jr Elementary 

Marc T. Atkinson Gifted and IB Middle School

Justine Spitalny 

Raul H. Castro Fine Arts Academy

Sunset Elementary

*To determine if you reside in the bus area you can contact Transportation at 623-691-4093.

Special Education Students: Students who receive transportation as a related service outlined in the student’s IEP do NOT have to fill out a bus application.  Transportation services are requested from the school site directly to Transportation.  

Open Enrollment Students within Cartwright School District boundaries wishing to receive transportation services from the home school to their school of choice need to fill out a bus application and note their open enrollment status.

Open Enrollment Students outside Cartwright School District boundaries do not qualify for transportation services.

The following schools are walking schools and do not have general education bus routes to them:

Charles W. Harris Elementary

Frank Borman Elementary

Frank G. Davidson Elementary

Glen L. Downs Elementary

John F. Long Elementary

Palm Lane Elementary

Peralta Elementary

Starlight Park Elementary

Tomahawk Elementary

Hours of Operation:

School Year Hours

Mondays-Thursdays 5:00am-5:30pm

Fridays 5:00-3:30pm

Summer Hours

Mondays-Thursdays 5:00am-3:30pm

Fridays Closed

Transportation Employee Qualifications

Bus Driver Qualifications

• Before a bus driver can transport students there are many steps that are taken to ensure they are ready to do their job.
•  All drivers are fingerprinted and processed through the Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.  Any new driver has their professional refereneces check as well prior to becoming an employee of the Cartwright School District.
•  All drivers must pass a written test to acquire a Commercial Drivers License (CDL).
•  All drivers must pass a Department of Transportation federally mandated medical physical, a state mandated physical agility test, and a drug test.
•  All drivers must become CPR and First Aid certified.
•  Drivers are required to attend annual training to maintain their license.
•  Any driver applicant has to pass all above requirements in addition to going through a training program that involves learning how to drive a bus, classroom hours of instruction on safety, student management, etc. and they must take a road test to complete their license requirements.
•  All drivers are evaluated throughout the school year to ensure they are performing at their best and ensuring safe transport of our students.

Van Driver Qualifications

Van drivers mirror what a Bus Driver must complete with the only difference being that they do not hold a Commercial Drivers License.  They must complete annual course training, drug testing and be CPR and First Aid certified as well.

Bus Monitor Qualifications

Bus Monitors are trained on all special education student needs.  They must perform a physical agility test annually and be CPR and First Aid certified.  All bus monitors learn how to secure wheelchairs, carseats, harnesses, and seatbelts.  They attend annual classes to ensure they are current in their learning and are able to perform at their best for all students.

Student Rider Safety

During these times, we are requiring a bus application to ride the bus.  The application will guarantee your student an assigned seat on the bus.  Transportation will follow the limit of one student per seat on the bus.  The student temperature will be taken at the bus stop and all students will be required to wear a mask.  We ask parents to remain at the bus stop until their student has boarded the bus.

We count on our students to help make the bus ride a safe experience for all, and it is for this reason that students are expected to follow all school and bus expectations whether at the bus stop or on the bus itself.  All Cartwright School District staff have the authority to enforce rules and regulations both on and off the bus.  If at any time there are safety concerns on the bus, misbehavior will be dealt with according to procedures and may result in temporary suspension or removal from the bus.

School Bus Expectations:

• Follow the driver’s instructions the first time given
• Remain seated and in your assigned seat while the bus is in motion and until it comes to a complete stop.
• Save snacks, food, and drinks for later.
• Use an inside voice.
• Keep hands, feet and other items to yourself on the bus.

Tips for Safe School Bus Riding:

• Follow the bus driver’s instructions the first time given.
• Be at the bus stop 5 minutes before and stay at least 5 minutes after your stop time.
• Line up in a single file line back from the side of the road, no pushing or shoving.
• Respect the private property around the bus stop.
• Throw any trash away as you board the bus.
• Sit on assigned seat, not on knees or backpack.
• All items need to be inside the backpack, no loose items.
• If there is a problem on the bus tell the driver once the bus comes to a stop.
• When getting off the bus at your stop, if you have to cross the street always cross 10 feet in front of the bus.  Never walk behind the bus!

 

Transportation is provided for the following areas: 

Bus Assignment and Bus Stops

Bus stops are determined by the student population in an area.  The stop must meet regulations outlined by the state regulations for safety.  

•  All students must ride to school and home on their regularly assigned bus.
• Any point of pick-up or departure different from home must be approved by the administration
• Drivers will not transport any student not regularly assigned to their bus without prior authorization.

Fleet Maintenance

The Transportation Department employs mechanics to maintain and repair our fleet.  We are responsible for the District’s school bus fleet and the white fleet vehicles.  Student safety is our priority.  We incorporate preventative maintenance.  We maintain the fleet here at our bus yard.  All drivers are responsible for performing a thorough inspection of the vehicle on a daily basis and alerting a mechanic if there is a problem with the vehicle.  Any defect related to safety found in a vehicle is repaired immediately.  The vehicle is taken off the road until the defect is corrected.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when my student forgets an item on the bus?

Call Transportation and we can determine if the item is on board the bus.  If it is it can be picked up from our office or the driver can return it to the school the following day for pick-up.

What do I do if the bus has not arrived to the bus stop at the assigned time?

Please wait 5 minutes after the assigned time.  If at that point the bus still is not there you can call dispatch to get an estimated arrival time (ETA) of the bus.  Our dispatch number is 623-691-4093.

What if my student will not ride the bus due to an appointment or being sick?

Please call transportation if your child receives transportation service3s directly to the home at 623-691-4093.  Our answering machine is on all the time and phones start to be answered at 5:00 am.

Contact Us:

Leslie Chaparro (Administrator): 623-691-4093

Marina Corrales (Router): 623-691-4093

Dispatch: 623-691-4093