RHINEBECK

8420-R

VEHICLE IDLING REGULATION

School Buses

1. When school bus drivers arrive at loading or unloading areas to drop off or pick up passengers, they should turn off their buses as soon as possible to eliminate idling time and reduce harmful emissions. The school bus should not be restarted until it is ready to depart and there is a clear path to exit the pick-up area.

2. The idling time to warm up the school buses in the early morning before the start of the first route of the day shall be for the time recommended by the manufacturer (generally three to five minutes) except in the coldest weather.

3. To the extent possible in order to maintain interior vehicle warmth during cold weather months, school buses should be driven to the school as close to the scheduled pick-up time as possible, then turned off while waiting for students to load. Bus idling to maintain interior warmth shall be at a very minimum and shall occur outside of the school zone. The schools shall provide a space inside the school building where bus drivers can arrive early and wait.

4. The following are considered exceptions to the above rules and extraordinary circumstances that implicate health and safety and beyond the bus driver’s control:

a. waiting in traffic

b. while loading/unloading students with special needs, if necessary

(e.g., wheelchair lifts whose operation requires the engine to be running)

c. for traffic, safety or emergency situations

d. for maintenance or mechanical inspections or repair

e. during extreme weather conditions for the purpose of warming the interior of the bus.

5. School buses should not idle while waiting for students during field trips, sports trips, extracurricular activities or other events where students are transported to locations off of school grounds.

6. Bus schedules shall be revised by the transportation contractor so that school bus caravanning can be avoided and the buses with the cleanest emissions assigned to the longest routes.

7. All bus drivers shall receive a copy of this Policy and Regulation at the beginning of every school year.

Other Vehicles

1. The engines of all service delivery vehicles shall be turned off while deliveries are being made to school buildings.

2. Parents/guardians who drop off or pick up their children at school shall do so as quickly as possible and at the area designated for drop off or pick up. Parents shall turn off their vehicle engines while waiting to drop off or pick up a student, or when parked.

3. Parents shall be notified of this Policy and Regulation at the beginning of every school year. This Policy and Regulation shall be posted on the District’s website.