Pupil transportation.

Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to provide for the transportation of pupils to and from school whenever, in the judgment of the governing board, the transportation is advisable and good reasons exist to do so. Existing law requires a driver employed by a local educational agency, contracted by a local educational agency, or contracted by any entity with funding from a local educational agency, who provides school-related pupil transportation for compensation to be subject to specified requirements including, among others, having a satisfactory driving record, as provided. Existing law exempts from these requirements a school employee when the employee provides transportation to pupils due to or because of the employee's supervision of pupils for a field trip, extracurricular activity, or athletic program, or when the employee provides transportation to pupils for other activities, not to exceed 40 hours of drive time per school year per employee. This bill would delete the 40 hours of drive time per school year limit for a school employee that transports pupils due to or because of the employee's supervision of pupils for a field trip, extracurricular activity, or athletic program. The bill would maintain the 40 hours of drive time per school year limit for a school employee that transports pupils due to or because of the employee's supervision of pupils for other activities, except that, for a local educational agency with fewer than 2,500 units of average daily attendance and a frontier school district, as defined, the bill would set that limit at 200 hours of drive time or such other amount as approved by the governing board or body of the local educational agency. This bill would authorize a local educational agency with fewer than 2,500 units of average daily attendance or a frontier school district, as defined, to issue a rural activity driver authorization to an employee or registered volunteer who transports pupils in a vehicle with a maximum capacity of 10 or fewer persons, including the driver, to or from curricular or extracurricular events if the employee or registered volunteer meets specified requirements, including, among others, having a satisfactory driving record and using a vehicle that has undergone an annual safety inspection, as provided. The bill would prohibit an employee or registered volunteer with a rural activity driver authorization from transporting pupils in specified conditions, including when the route exceeds 200 road miles one way. The bill would require a local educational agency that issues a rural activity driver authorization to an employee or registered volunteer to maintain records of all authorizations, inspections, and training requirements.