Transportation

Your child should always be at his/her bus stop five minutes before the scheduled pick-up. During the first week of school, buses may be late during pick-up and drop-off. Please be patient. Kindergarten students, please fasten your bus tag to your backpack.

Bus drivers and bus monitors (when assigned) have the responsibility and authority to enforce all rules and regulations to ensure the safety of all students on the bus.  Bus privileges may be suspended by district administration if a student’s behavior interferes with bus safety or violates district rules or regulations.

Visit our Transportation FAQs page for answers to more frequently asked questions.

Student Responsibilities:

• Always follow the instructions of the driver.  
• Remain seated while the bus is in motion.
• Wait until the bus has stopped completely before entering or exiting.
• Always keep heads and arms inside the bus.
• Keep voices low and never use foul language.
• Items that are potentially dangerous or distracting to the driver are not allowed on the bus.
• Fighting or rough play are forbidden, as are tobacco, electronic cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and other harmful substances.  All school buses are equipped with video cameras, which may be used to monitor student safety and behavior.

Parents are responsible for the safety of their children while traveling between the student's home and their assigned bus stop. Parents are also responsible for the safety of children while at the bus stop.

Parents or guardians requesting transportation to a private or parochial school for their child must submit the Out-of-District Transportation Request on or before April 1 of the calendar year in which the child will begin school.  A form must be submitted each year that a child attends an out-of-district school. 

• Request for Transportation Form 2024-25

Transportation will be furnished for pupils who:

• Reside within the school district boundaries
• Attend a school not more than 15 miles from their home
• Are five years old before December 1 of that school year
• Complete the transportation request form by April 1 of the year in which the child will begin school

Transportation is provided for regular school days based on school calendars and does not include orientation days.

There is no bus transportation on days when Mt. Pleasant Schools are not in session. This may include:

• Legal holidays such as Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lunar New Year, President's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth
• Recess periods such as Thanksgiving Recess, Winter Recess, Mid-Winter Recess, Spring Recess
• Superintendent's Conference Days
• Other days as noted on the official district calendar or as subsequently announced by the district. 

Delayed start or school closing:

• If the District experiences a delayed opening, buses will run on the MPCSD delayed-opening schedule.
• In the event Mount Pleasant CSD experiences a weather-related closing, there will be no out-of-district transportation for that day.

Parents/guardians may submit an alternate stop request via the Google form below. The requested change will be in effect for every day the child is attending school for the remainder of the school year unless another request is submitted. The form will be monitored periodically for updates and communicated to Royal Coach for implementation.  **Hawthorne Elementary parents should also update School Dismissal Manager with the changes.**

• Alternate Stop Request Form

**Please note: Alternate Stop Requests are not effective immediately and generally take three school days to implement. Please continue to monitor the Parent Portal for the status of your request.**

When the Marble Avenue Bridge closes due to flooding, it is always our goal to communicate any changes to families as early as possible. The decision to make adjustments to transportation is based on information we receive from our transportation company, Royal Coach, and the Mount Pleasant Highway Department. On days when flooding that will impact our bus routes occurs, an email and text communication will be sent to you from either the District or your child’s school. The following bus stops will be affected when there is flooding under the Marble Avenue bridge:

• WHS/WMS Bus #5:  191 Marble Ave, Rosalind Ave & Stanley St
  • Alternate Stop:  Garrigan Ave & Broadway
  • Pick up:  6:55 am 
  • Drop off:  2:43 pm
     
• CES Bus #5:  193 Marble Ave, Rosalind Ave & Stanley St
  • Alternate Stop:  Garrigan Ave & Saratoga Ave
  • Pick up:  7:43 am
  • Drop off:  3:22 pm
     
• HES Bus #15:  193 Marble Ave, Rosalind Ave & Stanley St
  • Alternate Stop:  Garrigan Ave & Broadway
  • Pick up:  7:15 am
  • Drop off:  3:15 pm

Please be reminded that the alternate stop times are approximate and you should allow up to 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after the estimated times. Elementary students without permission to walk home alone will always be brought back to school to wait for a parent or authorized emergency contact to pick them up if you have your own transportation delays.