Welcome to Sachem Central School District Transportation

Have a Transportation Question?

Below is the contact information for questions regarding district transportation services:

Towne Bus for large bus routes: 631-758-3900

WE Transport for van routes (800 series): 631-868-3790

Orange County Transit for van routes (300 series): 631-505-0600

Sachem Transportation Department: 631-471-1380

K-12 Bell Schedules

*Starting 2022-2023

!!NEW PARENTS!!

Please read below for valuable information about you student’s transportation

!!Private / Parochial Parents!!

To request Transportation for the 24-25 school year, see HELPFUL LINKS and FORMS on the left

Students will be provided a corner bus stop near their home in accordance with the Sachem school district guidelines on our website below.

Please read importation information below about bus stop safety and procedures for am pickup and pm drop off and review with your student.

Additional details including your child’s bus stop and pick up time will be communicated to you during the summer, prior to the start of the school year.

Effective immediately, we will begin accepting applications for private school transportation for the 2024-2025 school year ahead of the April 1st deadline (as per NYS Law).

In an effort to streamline the process we will no longer be mailing paper applicationsto each household.

We are now using electronic filing for transportation applications. Your application must be completed and submitted before April 1, 2024. No late applications will be accepted. It is our recommendation to apply for Transportation even if there is a chance you will not need it. You can cancel the request for transportation if needed at a later date.  Keep in mind that an individual form needs to be completed for each child attending a private or parochial school.  If you decide to change the school of attendance after completing the application you must notify the Sachem Transportation Department before the April 1st deadline, otherwise it will be processed as a late application.

If this is your child’s first time applying for transportation to a Private or Parochial School, you will have to fill out the forms on the link below and bring them to Central Registration Office at 51 School Street Lake Ronkonkoma. The office is in the Samoset Middle School in the “A” entrance.

Central Registration Packet

If your child is currently receiving a Sachem CSD provided bus to a Private or Parochial School and your address has not changed please click on this link below and fill out the form.  If your address has changed, contact the transportation department for clarification before the April 1st deadline. An e-mail generated receipt will be sent to you stating that your child is registered for transportation. This is the only correspondence you will receive until the last week in August when the parent portal becomes available.

Continuing Transportation

Who is eligible for transportation?

Eligibility for transportation is based in accordance with New York State Education Law, solely upon the distance from a student’s legal residence to the school he or she legally attends or his/her special needs. Transportation is provided for all school aged students who reside in our district to schools in their respective attendance zones.

SACHEM BUS POLICIES AND RULES

Bus routes and stops are not posted on our website. The assigned bus and bus stop will be posted to the Parent Portal prior to the start of school every year.

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL:

Elementary Students should be at the bus stop at least 30 minutes before the school start time during the first week of school.

Middle & High School Students should be at the bus stop at least 40 minutes before the school start time during the first week of school.

IMPORTANT** After route times are established, students should be standing and waiting at the bus stop (not waiting in a car or in their house) at least 10 minutes prior to regular pick-up time. Be prepared to wait for the bus up to 20 minutes to allow for daily fluctuations and traffic changes. Parents are responsible for the student’s transportation to and from the bus stop.

At the beginning of the school year a Bus tag will be provided for kindergarten students listing their bus stop. This is the only stop at which your child will be picked up and dropped off each day unless alternate drop off / childcare requests are approved. See below for how to request an alternate bus stop.

KINDERGARTEN /1^st GRADE PM DROP OFF PROCEDURES

ALL KINDERGARTEN students MUST be met by an adult or sibling over age 14 by standing at the bus stop. To submit the list of authorized adults who may take your child off the bus complete and submit the “CHILD RELEASE AUTHORIZATION” form for your specific school at the link below. Anyone that is going to meet the student must be on the list of people that can receive the student.

All FIRST GRADE students must be met at the bus stop by someone they recognize.

If you would like your 1st grader to walk home from the bus on their own fill out the CHILD RELEASE AUTHORIZATION form at your school's link below.

Beginning on August 29th, use the link below for your child's school and complete the form. When you hit submit form, the information we collected will be shared with the school and the bus driver for your child.

CHILD RELEASE AUTHORIZATIONS - click the school name to complete the form

Wenonah
Waverly
Tamarac
Nokomis
Merrimac
Lynwood
Hiawatha
Grundy
Chippewa
Cayuga
P&P

These forms are very important to ensure the safety of our students. Each parent/guardian is asked to complete one form per child in Kindergarten and 1st grade. The names of the adults listed on the form will be shared with the bus drivers, so that if a parent is not able to meet their child at the bus stop, the driver knows the name of the adult who is authorized to take the child off the bus.

“WALKER” ZONES

Eligibility for transportation is based in accordance with New York State Education Law, solely upon the distance from a student’s legal residence to the school he or she legally attends or his/her special needs. If your child is assigned to the schools WALK ZONE, they will not be permitted to ride a bus to and from school. Parents are responsible for the students to and from the school.

BOARDING /EXITING THE BUS

The first few rows of each bus are reserved for kindergarten students. If parents choose to have a sibling sit with a kindergartner, this is permitted in the front of the bus only. Kindergarten students will board and exit the bus first. Someone at the school will escort students to their classrooms.

ALTERNATE PICKUP/ DROP OFF/ CHILDCARE

For your child’s safety, the bus driver, teacher, school, and Transportation Department need to know your child’s proper bus and bus stop. For this reason, all alternate transportation requests for the start of the school year must be submitted at least 2 weeks before the 1^st day of school . Requests made after this date will be processed after September 30th.

REQUEST TO CHANGE BUS OR STOP assignment for either AM or PM childcare utilize the link below:

Bus Stop Request Daycare  

BUS RULES

Students are required to conduct themselves on the bus in a manner consistent with established standards for classroom behavior. Excessive noise, pushing, shoving, and fighting will not be tolerated.

1. Wait for the bus in an orderly manner, being respectful of the private property.
2. Cell phone use is not permitted on the bus.
3. Eating or drinking is not permitted on the bus.
4. Skate boards are not permitted to be taken on the bus for any reason at any time.
5. Parents are not permitted on the bus at any time other than for field trip chaperones starting at the school.
6. Foul language is not permitted on the bus.
7. Bullying or fighting is not allowed on the bus.
8. Homework is not to be done on the bus.
9. Take your seat quickly orderly.
10. Stay seated for the entire ride. Changing seats is not permitted.
11. Talk quietly with your neighbor.
12. Always keep your hands to yourself. Do not touch your neighbors.
13. Listen to your bus driver and follow instructions.
14. Keep the aisle clear of instruments, books, lunch boxes. Arrangements must be made for large instruments as they are not permitted on the bus.
15. Remain quiet at railroad crossings and intersections.

PM DROP OFF PROCEDURES GRADES 2-12

If your child is in a higher grade than Kindergarten and you do not want them released unless someone is there to meet them at the bus stop, please write a note to the Principal of your school and list the people you will have picking your child up at the stop and state that you do not want them release on their own. If this is in place and nobody is at the stop for your child, they will be kept on the bus and returned to their school.

SACHEM CSD TRANSPORTATION PARAMETERS

Bus Stop locations are created in accordance with NYS laws and regulations to promote safety and efficiency, and are created as “neighborhood” stops.

-This year with safety in mind as well as considering efficiency we will permit as many as 50 students per bus before moving stops off the route to reduce the ridership.

-All Non-Transportable students or Walkers shall be transported to school by parent or guardian or walk up to .5 miles or 2,640 feet to school. No bus stops will be added within .5 miles to any school.

 -All new stops are to be 1 block from the walk zone. All new bus stops must be more than 600 feet from a current bus stop.

 -Bus stops that are currently being used will not be moved for the convenience of other students. Bus stops that are not currently being used and have no students assigned to them may be moved or deleted.

-Elementary students on average may be required to walk up to 2 blocks to a bus stop. This is about .2 miles or approximately 1,100 feet.

 -Middle School students on average may be required to walk up to 3 blocks to a bus stop. This is .25 miles or approximately 1,300 feet.

 -High School students on average may be required to walk up to 4 blocks to a bus stop. This is .3 miles or approximately 1,600 feet. Late Busses Middle School Late buses use the High School distance from the stop. High School Late buses use up to .5 miles from the stop. This is done for efficiency. There are fewer routes for each school.

For Private and Parochial School - A Sachem resident must live within 15 miles of the school if bussing is to be provided at the Primary level (K-8) and within 25 miles of the school if bussing is to be provided at the High School level. Only secondary schools have late bus service

BUS STOP SAFETY

If you must cross the street, wait for the driver to give you the universal crossing signal, and then cross at least fifteen (15) feet from the front of the bus so that the driver can see you.