Q. What time does my child need to be waiting at his/her morning stop?

Call the school. They will give parents/guardians an approximate time for morning arrival. Parents should have their child ready at the bus stop 15 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.

Q. Will the bus leave the stop without my child if she/he is not waiting at the bus stop location?

Yes! The student must be waiting at his/her stop at least 15 minutes prior to the designated time.

Q. What time will the bus arrive to pick up my child?

The morning times for bus runs will usually depend on certain variables. Most importantly, distance and traffic patterns play the most predominant role for morning bus arrival times. Please call the school for that information.

Q. What is the maximum allowable walking distance for students to bus stops by law?

State law says that 1 mile is the maximum allowable walking distance. The Chatham County Board of Education has adopted a practice of three-tenths of a mile for elementary students, three-tenths of a mile for middle, and five tenths of a mile for high school students as the maximum walking distance to bus stops. Exceptions: Most of our sub-divisions are private and do not have state maintained roads. The maximum walking distance should not apply to most sub-divisions in our county. Several counties throughout our state do not allow school buses to go into subdivisions. A pick up point could be allowed in some cases.

Q. How do I sign up to get bus transportation for my child to and from school?

Please contact your child’s school and let them know you will need bus transportation for your child. Please make sure to specify if you need only morning or afternoon, or morning and afternoon transportation. Also, please specify if you need an alternate address for the morning or afternoon. Please understand that alternate addresses must be within the school’s current attendance boundary or the alternate will not be approved.

Q. How long does it take after I change my address before I receive my bus assignment?

At the beginning of the year, it will take at the most 10 days to receive a bus assignment. By the beginning of October, bus assignments can be received within three to five days.

Q. How do I know where my child’s bus stop is located?

Bus routes, schedules, and stops will be provided to families through each individual child's school. Visit or call your school to get the most up-to-date information.

Q. I moved into a new neighborhood. Can I just send my child on the same bus as my neighbor when it comes?

No. All students must be registered with their school and have received an official bus assignment before they may ride the bus.  

Q. Who do I call if the school bus does not show up to take my child to school?

Please call your child’s school.

Q. We live out of district from the school my child attends, but there is an existing stop near my out of district address. Can I utilize that stop?

No.

Q. My child was given a bus stop pick-up time of 7:30 am, but the bus came at 7:15am and she missed the bus. Will the bus come back and pick her up for school?

No. Students should be at the bus stop at least 15 minutes before the approximate pick-up time. Having the student at the stop 15 minutes prior to the quoted time will guarantee that the student will receive transportation. 

Q. The bus won’t come into my private subdivision. Why?

G.S. 115C-246(b) states that “unless road or other conditions make it inadvisable, public school buses shall be routed on state-maintained highways, municipal streets, or other streets with publicly dedicated right–of–way.” The local board of education shall not be responsible for damage to the roadway.”

Q. My child’s bus stop has been moved from the location where it has been located for several years. Why?

The LEA is required to establish a bus stop for each student within one mile of the student’s residence. Nearly all bus stops are, in reality, much closer than this. G.S. 115C-246 states that buses must be routed “so that the bus passes within one mile of the residence of each pupil assigned to that bus.” Any bus stop within one mile of the residence is legal.”