Dear APS Families,

 As we prepare for the opening of school in the fall, I want to share information regarding bus passes. 

 The preferred payment method of the Andover Public Schools is electronic check or credit card through E-funds. Cash payments will be accepted at the business office.  When making a cash payment, please call the office to ensure someone is available to accept your payment. A notification will be sent via email when bus pass registration and the online payment is open. This information will also be posted on the APS1.net website.

 Bus passes will be mailed during the week of August 7th to the physical address we have on file.  Bus route information will be posted in the ASPEN Family Portal August 11, 2023. To maintain student-privacy, bus routes will not be posted on the district’s website. Rather, copies of the full route for your child’s bus will be shared through a blackboard message prior to the start of the school year. 

 Your student’s bus pass will include the AM & PM bus number, pick-up and drop off time and bus stop location. You will also find this information in ASPEN in the family portal. To view, log in and click on the “Family” tab at the top. Click on the name of your child. In the details screen, click on the “Transportation” tab to view your student’s bus information. 

The cost of a bus pass is now $100.00 with a cap of $200.00 per family. A $50.00 late fee will be added if the payment is not made by the July 28^th deadline. In an effort to provide efficient service, the E-funds link for transportation will close on Friday, August 11th, 2023. This is to provide our transportation department and company with time to prepare for the start of the school year. Requests for registration following August 11th, 2023 will be honored on a first-come first-serve basis and will not be assigned a bus before, Friday, September 8, 2023

 If you would like to see if you are eligible for free or reduced transportation, please complete a Family Financial Assistance Application. Select the box “Share with Administration” on the application. This will allow your information to be shared with us so we are able to assign transportation if eligible. Please be reminded that you are required to submit a new application each school year. View the eligibility guidelines to see if you qualify.

 Bus Pass Regulations

The Andover School Committee has set the following guidelines. 

Students will be entitled to transportation to and from school at the expense of the public schools when such transportation conforms to applicable provisions of the Massachusetts General Laws. Reimbursement to the school system for transportation costs is given by the Commonwealth only for (a) students living at least one and one half miles from school, (b) students who live more than one mile from the nearest bus stop, and (c) students with special needs for whom transportation must be provided. 

 Additionally, the Committee will provide transportation for students as follows: 

*Students in grades K - 6.  Students in grade K-6 will receive free transportation if the distance over the most direct public ways between a student´s residence and the school he/she is entitled to attend exceeds 1.5 miles. 

 *Students in grade 6 are required to have a bus pass to present to the driver but there is NO FEE for the bus pass. Bus passes are not required for students in grade K-5.

Students in grades 7 – 12 

a. At its discretion, the School Department may furnish transportation to students in grades 7 - 12, if the distance over the most direct public ways between a student´s residence and the school he/she is entitled to attend exceeds 2.0 miles, provided, however, that the parent(s) or guardian(s) of such students SHALL pay a Transportation User Fee in an amount established annually, by the School Committee.

 School bus stops will be at centralized locations. Students are not entitled to street-by-street or door–to-door pick-up and/or drop off. All routes and stops will be determined using these guidelines:

• Bus capacity
• Length of bus route
• Distance that eligible student would be required to walk to a bus stop
• Grade of student transported

 Buses will not travel in cul-de-sacs, unless they need to change direction, or travel on unapproved town roads. Most students will ride the bus to and from school at the closest group stop in the neighborhood.

 It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure the safety of his/her student at the bus stop. Students are required to ride their assigned bus. 

 Please have your student at the bus stop 10 minutes before the scheduled arrival time. Construction, detours, traffic, trains and inclement weather are a factor in arrival and departing times. Please allow 10 minutes after the scheduled arrival as well. Remember, drivers will be asking for bus passes during these first weeks, and it does require extra time. A student must be prepared to present a bus pass any time the driver requests to see it.

Cindy Button

Transportation Manager

30 Whittier Court

Andover, MA 01810

978-247-7065

cindy.button@andoverma.us