ARTICLE 3. Schoolbuses [39830. - 39843.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 3.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39830. Section 39830.

A schoolbus is any motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained for the transportation of a school pupil at or below the grade 12 level to or from a public or private school or to or from public or private school activities, except the following: (a) A motor vehicle of any type carrying only members of the household of its owner. (b) A motortruck transporting pupils who are seated only in the passenger compartment, and a passenger vehicle designed for and when actually carrying not more than 10 persons, including the driver, except any vehicle or truck transporting two or more pupils who use wheelchairs. (c) A motor vehicle operated by a common carrier, or by and under exclusive jurisdiction of a publicly owned or operated transit system, only during the time it is on a scheduled run and is available to the general public or on a run scheduled in response to a request from a pupil who uses a wheelchair, or from a parent of the pupil, for transportation to or from nonschool activities. However, the motor vehicle is designed for and actually carries not more than 16 persons and the driver, is available to eligible persons of the general public, and the school does not provide the requested transportation service. (d) A school pupil activity bus as defined in Section 39830.1. (e) A motor vehicle operated by a carrier licensed by the Interstate Commerce Commission that is transporting pupils on a school activity entering or returning to the state from another state or country. (f) A state-owned motor vehicle being operated by a state employee upon the driveways, paths, parking facilities, or grounds specified in Section 21113 of the Vehicle Code that are under the control of a state hospital under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Developmental Services where the posted speed limit is not more than 20 miles per hour. The motor vehicle may also be operated for a distance of not more than one-quarter mile upon a public street or highway that runs through the grounds of a state hospital under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Developmental Services, if the posted speed limit on the public street or highway is not more than 25 miles per hour and if all traffic is regulated by posted stop signs or official traffic control signals at the points of entry and exit by the motor vehicle.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39830.1. Section 39830.1.

A “school pupil activity bus” means any motor vehicle, other than a schoolbus, operated by a common carrier, or by and under the exclusive jurisdiction of a publicly owned or operated transit system, or by a passenger charter-party carrier, used under a contractual agreement between a school and carrier to transport school pupils at or below the 12th grade level to or from a public or private school activity, or used to transport pupils to or from residential schools, when the pupils are received and discharged at off-highway locations where a parent or adult designated by the parent is present to accept the pupil or place the pupil on the bus. As used in this section, “common carrier,” “publicly owned or operated transit system,” and “passenger charter-party carrier” mean carriers in business for the principal purpose of transporting members of the public on a commercial basis. This section shall not apply to a motor vehicle operated by a carrier licensed by the Interstate Commerce Commission transporting pupils on a school activity trip entering or returning to the state from another state or country. The driver of a school pupil activity bus shall be subject to the regulations adopted by the Department of the California Highway Patrol governing schoolbus drivers, except that the regulations shall not require drivers to duplicate training or schooling that they have otherwise received that is equivalent to that required pursuant to the regulations, and the regulations may not require drivers to take training in first aid. However, a valid certificate to drive a school pupil activity bus does not entitle the bearer to drive a schoolbus.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39831. Section 39831.

(a) The State Board of Education shall adopt reasonable regulations relating to the use of schoolbuses by school districts and others. The regulations may not govern the safe operation of schoolbuses that shall be adopted instead by the Department of the California Highway Patrol. (b) The Department of the California Highway Patrol shall adopt regulations pursuant to Section 34500 of the Vehicle Code relating to the safe operation of schoolbuses that shall also require school district governing boards to include in their schoolbus driver training programs, the proper actions to be taken in the event that a schoolbus is hijacked.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39831.1. Section 39831.1.

The state board shall adopt regulations to require a passenger in a schoolbus equipped with passenger restraint systems in accordance with Section 27316 of the Vehicle Code to use a passenger restraint system so that the passenger is properly restrained by that system.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39831.2. Section 39831.2.

The state board shall adopt regulations to require a passenger in a school pupil activity bus equipped with passenger restraint systems in accordance with Section 27316.5 of the Vehicle Code to use a passenger restraint system so that the passenger is properly restrained by that system.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39831.3. Section 39831.3.

(a) The county superintendent of schools, the superintendent of a school district, a charter school, or the owner or operator of a private school that provides transportation to or from a school or school activity shall prepare a transportation safety plan containing procedures for school personnel to follow to ensure the safe transport of pupils. The plan shall be revised as required. The plan shall address all of the following: (1) Determining if pupils require escort pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 22112 of the Vehicle Code. (2) (A) Procedures for all pupils in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, to follow as they board and exit the appropriate schoolbus at each pupil’s schoolbus stop. (B) Nothing in this paragraph requires a county superintendent of schools, the superintendent of a school district, a charter school, or the owner or operator of a private school that provides transportation to or from a school or school activity, to use the services of an onboard schoolbus monitor, in addition to the driver, to carry out the purposes of this paragraph. (3) Boarding and exiting a schoolbus at a school or other trip destination. (4) Procedures to ensure that a pupil is not left unattended on a schoolbus, school pupil activity bus, or youth bus. (5) Procedures and standards for designating an adult chaperone, other than the driver, to accompany pupils on a school pupil activity bus. (b) A current copy of a plan prepared pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be retained by each school subject to the plan and made available upon request to an officer of the Department of the California Highway Patrol.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39831.5. Section 39831.5.

(a) All pupils in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in public or private school who are transported in a schoolbus or school pupil activity bus shall receive instruction in schoolbus emergency procedures and passenger safety. The county superintendent of schools, superintendent of the school district, or owner/operator of a private school, as applicable, shall ensure that the instruction is provided as follows: (1) Upon registration, the parents or guardians of all pupils not previously transported in a schoolbus or school pupil activity bus and who are in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 6, inclusive, shall be provided with written information on schoolbus safety. The information shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (A) A list of schoolbus stops near each pupil’s home. (B) General rules of conduct at schoolbus loading zones. (C) Red light crossing instructions. (D) Schoolbus danger zone. (E) Walking to and from schoolbus stops. (2) At least once in each school year, all pupils in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, who receive home-to-school transportation shall receive safety instruction that includes, but is not limited to, proper loading and unloading procedures, including escorting by the driver, how to safely cross the street, highway, or private road, instruction on the use of passenger restraint systems, as described in paragraph (3), proper passenger conduct, bus evacuation, and location of emergency equipment. Instruction also may include responsibilities of passengers seated next to an emergency exit. As part of the instruction, pupils shall evacuate the schoolbus through emergency exit doors. (3) Instruction on the use of passenger restraint systems, when a passenger restraint system is installed, shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (A) Proper fastening and release of the passenger restraint system. (B) Acceptable placement of passenger restraint systems on pupils. (C) Times at which the passenger restraint systems should be fastened and released. (D) Acceptable placement of the passenger restraint systems when not in use. (4) Prior to departure on a school activity trip, all pupils riding on a schoolbus or school pupil activity bus shall receive safety instruction that includes, but is not limited to, location of emergency exits, and location and use of emergency equipment. Instruction also may include responsibilities of passengers seated next to an emergency exit. (b) The following information shall be documented each time the instruction required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) is given: (1) Name of school district, county office of education, or private school. (2) Name and location of school. (3) Date of instruction. (4) Names of supervising adults. (5) Number of pupils participating. (6) Grade levels of pupils. (7) Subjects covered in instruction. (8) Amount of time taken for instruction. (9) Busdriver’s name. (10) Bus number. (11) Additional remarks. The information recorded pursuant to this subdivision shall remain on file at the district or county office, or at the school, for one year from the date of the instruction, and shall be subject to inspection by the Department of the California Highway Patrol.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39832. Section 39832.

The name or names of the particular school or schools to which a schoolbus conveys pupils may be painted on the side of the bus, in the manner prescribed by the Department of the California Highway Patrol.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39833. Section 39833.

Any officer, agent, or employee of a school district, or any other person knowingly operating, or permitting or directing the operation of a schoolbus in violation of any regulation or order of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and any person knowingly operating a schoolbus without possessing the qualifications required by the Department of the California Highway Patrol for schoolbus operators, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39834. Section 39834.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), any officer, agent, or employee of a school district, office of the county superintendent of schools, or joint powers agency, or any other person, knowingly operating, or permitting or directing the operation of a schoolbus, when it is loaded with schoolchildren in excess of the limits of its seating capacity, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) The governing board of any school district, office of the county superintendent of schools, or joint powers agency may adopt a district policy establishing plans for the evacuation of pupils in case of any emergency that may provide, where necessary, for the loading of schoolchildren on a schoolbus in excess of the limits of its seating capacity. (c) As used in this section, “emergency” means a natural disaster or hazard that requires pupils to be moved immediately in order to ensure their safety.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39835. Section 39835.

(a) The governing board of any school district may use schoolbuses to transport persons for purposes of community recreation as provided in Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 10900) of Part 7. The transportation may be provided on any day or days throughout the school year. (b) Any school district that files forms with the Superintendent of Public Instruction covering the annual report of transportation expense in connection with reimbursement for transportation shall show on the forms the total mileage of schoolbuses used in providing transportation for community recreation purposes. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in accordance with regulations adopted by him or her, shall deduct from the allowances to a school district for transportation an amount equal to the depreciation of schoolbuses due to their use in transporting persons for community recreation.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39836. Section 39836.

During any national emergency declared by the President of the United States of America or during any war in which the United States of America is engaged, the governing board of a school district may operate any bus owned or under lease to the district for the transportation of pupils of the district engaged in the harvesting of crops to and from the places of harvest and shall require the payment of a reasonable charge for transportation furnished.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39837. Section 39837.

The governing board of any school district may use and operate any bus owned or under lease to the district for the transportation of pupils to and from their places of employment during the summer in connection with any summer employment program for youth. The governing board shall require the payment of a reasonable charge for transportation so furnished. The governing board shall, in accordance with Section 35208, adequately insure against the liability of the district, members of the board, and officers and employees of the district in connection with the furnishing of transportation.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39837.5. Section 39837.5.

The governing board of a school district may provide for the transportation on schoolbuses of employees of the school district, parents of pupils of the school district, and adult volunteers to and from educational activities authorized by the school district.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39838. Section 39838.

(a) Each schoolbus shall be equipped with one or more fire extinguishers bearing the approval of the laboratories of the National Board of Fire Underwriters, Underwriters’ Laboratories Incorporated, or any other nationally recognized testing laboratory, and located in an easily accessible place in the driver’s compartment. (b) Each schoolbus shall be equipped with one or more fire extinguishers with an aggregate rating of at least 8-B, C units, as rated by the Underwriters’ Laboratories Incorporated. Carbon tetrachloride fire extinguishers may not be used on schoolbuses.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39839. Section 39839.

Guide dogs, signal dogs, and service dogs trained to provide assistance to individuals with a disability may be transported in a schoolbus when accompanied by disabled pupils enrolled in a public or private school or by disabled teachers employed in a public or private school or community college or by persons training the dogs.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39840. Section 39840.

The governing board of any school district may enter into a contract under the terms of which the school district grants the use of any schoolbus that is owned or leased by the school district to any federal, state, or local governmental agency for the purpose of providing transportation for employees of the agency to or from their places of employment, or both, if the following conditions are satisfied: (a) Public transportation is not reasonably available to the agency’s employees at their place of employment. (b) The school district normally provides transportation for pupils residing on the governmental agency’s property to or from school, or both. (c) The transportation of the agency’s employees does not interfere with the school district’s use of schoolbuses for school transportation purposes. (d) All schoolbus warning lights and exterior lettering or signs that identify the bus as a schoolbus are covered or removed during operation by the federal, state, or local governmental agency. (e) Mechanical condition of a schoolbus during operation by the federal, state, or local governmental agency is maintained so as to meet or exceed those regulations promulgated by the State Department of Education pursuant to Section 39831 governing the operation of schoolbuses. (f) Accurate records are maintained that reflect the actual number of miles any schoolbus is driven during times of operation by the federal, state, or local governmental agency, which records are to be made available to the Superintendent of Public Instruction in connection with the annual report of transportation expense made by the school district. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in accordance with Section 39835, shall deduct from the allowances to a school district for transportation an amount equal to the depreciation of schoolbuses due to their use in transporting employees of a federal, state, or local governmental agency pursuant to this section.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39841. Section 39841.

The following requirements shall be included in any agreement entered into between a school district and a publicly owned transit system under which the school district grants the use of any schoolbus that is owned or leased by it to the transit system for public transportation purposes: (a) All schoolbus warning lights and exterior lettering or signs that identify the bus as a schoolbus are covered or removed during operation by the transit system. (b) Mechanical condition of a schoolbus during operation by the transit system is maintained so as to meet or exceed those regulations adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 39831 governing the operation of schoolbuses. (c) Accurate records are maintained that reflect the actual number of miles any schoolbus is driven during times of operation by the transit system.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39842. Section 39842.

(a) Any person who enters a schoolbus or school pupil activity bus without prior authorization of the driver or other school official with intent to commit any crime and who refuses to disembark after being ordered to do so by the driver or other school official is guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both. (b) A school district or county superintendent of schools may place a notice at the entrance of a schoolbus or school pupil activity bus that complies with the requirements of paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 1256.5 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations and that warns against unauthorized entry.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 39843. Section 39843.

(a) The county superintendent of schools, the superintendent of a school district, a charter school, or the owner or operator of a private school that provides transportation to or from a school or school activity shall notify the Department of Motor Vehicles, in a form and manner that the Department of Motor Vehicles specifies, within five calendar days after the county office of education, the governing board of a school district, the charter school, the owner or operator of the private school, or, in situations where the transportation services are contracted out, the driver’s employer, has done both of the following: (1) Ordered and upheld disciplinary action, after completion of disciplinary procedures conducted in compliance with rights granted by law or a collective bargaining agreement, against a driver of a schoolbus, school pupil activity bus, or youth bus who was found to have left the immediate vicinity of the vehicle to which the driver had been assigned with an unsupervised pupil onboard. (2) Made a finding that the driver’s actions constituted gross negligence. (b) For purposes of this section, escorting pupils pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 22112 of the Vehicle Code shall not be considered leaving the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. (c) For purposes of this section, “gross negligence” means the want of even scant care or an extreme departure from the ordinary standard of conduct.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026