Transportation

The Amherst Exempted Village School's Transportation Department is committed to providing safe and dependable transportation to all children whether they attend a district school, community school, special education facility, and vocational school. Getting students to and from school every day is a major responsibility entrusted to the Amherst Schools. Please contact the Transportation Department at 440-988-2633 if you have questions or concerns.

Forms and Information

Transportation Reminders

Bus Stops

Students should be at their stops at least five (5) minutes prior to the bus arriving. They should be lined up at the stop – not waiting in vehicles and/or homes. All times are approximate taking into consideration traffic, road conditions, etc

Day Care and Babysitters

If your child needs to be transported to Day Care/Babysitters, please contact the Transportation Department and/or the school your child attends. Paperwork must be completed BEFORE approval will be given and arrangements made. Paperwork needs to be completed each new school year. Please contact the Transportation Department immediately if you have need of this service.

Inclement Weather/Calamity Days

On days when the Amherst Schools are closed due to inclement weather or a calamity, ALL TRANSPORTATION services are canceled for ALL schools including any non-public schools that we provide transportation for. Fore more information on inclement weather or calamity days, please visit our Delays and Closings page.

Pick-Up/Drop-Off Times

Scheduled pick-up/drop-off times are approximate based on the student roster at the time the routes were created. Times may vary due to additional/withdrawn students. Weather conditions, road construction, traffic and train delays can also impact pick-up/drop-off times. Routes can tend to run slower for the first week of school.

Space Available Form

Students qualify for transportation by living over 1 mile from their school of attendance. If your student does not qualify, a form is available to complete for consideration/approval to ride the bus if there is room (extra seats on the bus). The form is available in the Transportation Department or on our website (see link below). Assignment/approval will be made on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Determination will be made in October after student counts are taken.

Special Needs Routes

Drivers will contact parents and students regarding bus information. If you haven’t heard from a driver by the week before school opens, please contact the Transportation Department.

School Transportation FAQ

These are frequently asked questions and general information about pupil transportation in Ohio and quoted directly from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) website:
I cannot see my child’s bus stop from the house. Are there state laws that set the standards for bus stop locations?
No law requires a parent to see the bus stop from home. Students in Ohio may be assigned to a bus stop up to one-half mile from their home, and we encourage parents to accompany their child to the bus stop whenever possible. This teaches the child safe habits of walking to and from the bus stop and may give the parent peace of mind. Bus stop locations are determined by each district’s board of education.

Are sidewalks required for my child to get to his/her bus stop?
Many students walk alongside of roadways to reach their bus stop and in some instances no sidewalks exist. While we understand this may be of concern in some situations, the Department of Education does not promulgate bus stop placement. Issues relating to where a child’s bus stop is located and safety concerns along the way to the bus stop must be addressed with the district in which you reside.

I make my child wait inside of my house until the bus is at the stop. I have heard this is not allowed – is this true?
Ohio law requires children to be waiting at the bus stop prior to its arrival. Bus drivers count the students at the bus stop before they load and as they get on the bus to ensure all children are safely on board. If students are not waiting at the bus stop the bus driver cannot count them and cannot be certain the students are all safely on board. Waiting at the bus stop before the bus arrives further ensures that no one chases after the bus – this is a very dangerous thing to do. Many districts also instruct their buses to not stop at locations where no students are waiting.

 

Shonteea Ford is the Transportation Supervisor in the Amherst Exempted Village School District. Teea's career in transportation began at Lorain County Jobs and Family Services. She was the transportation coordinator for Medicaid & Medicare and CareSource for the county. Teea later moved on to Lorain City Schools where she joined the operations team and became the transportation coordinator for the district. Teea's number one goal is to get students to school and back home safely everyday! She is excited to be an Amherst Comet!!