Source: http://ksag.washburnlaw.edu/opinions/2000/2000-057.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 02:49:23+00:00

Document:
A unified school district that provides school bus transportation for its pupils is required to provide school bus transportation for pupils attending private or parochial schools who reside along a regular school route or gather at a place along a regular school route. Further, the school district may provide or furnish transportation for pupils attending private or parochial schools to such extent and upon such conditions as the school district deems appropriate. There is no mandatory obligation placed upon a school district to provide or furnish transportation for pupils attending private or parochial schools who do not reside along a regular school route or gather at a place along a regular school route. Cited herein: K.S.A. 72-8301; K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 72-8302, as amended by L. 2000, Ch. 155, § 4; 72-8303, as amended by L. 2000, Ch. 155, § 2; K.S.A. 72-8306.
As legal counsel for Unified School District No. 489, you request our opinion regarding whether a unified school district is obligated to reimburse a private individual for mileage costs incurred in transporting a pupil from the pupil's residence to a gathering place along the regular school route so that the pupil may be transported by school bus to a private or parochial school.
Unified School District No. 489 (U.S.D. No. 489) furnishes transportation for pupils who are attending public schools located in the territory comprising the school district. The Board of Education for U.S.D. No. 489 has established regular school routes to accommodate its pupils who are to be transported to and from school every school day. If a pupil who attends public school resides more than one mile from a prescribed regular school route, the District has contracted with the pupil's parents to reimburse them for transporting the pupil to a location along a regular school route. Children who attend private or parochial schools within the District's territory are also provided transportation on the District's buses, provided they reside along a regular school route or gather at places located along a regular school route. Parents of children who attend private or parochial schools are not reimbursed by the District for any costs incurred by the parents in transporting children to gathering places, regardless of the distance of their residences from a prescribed regular school route. The parent of a child who attends a parochial school located in the territory comprising U.S.D. No. 489, and whose residence is six miles from a gathering place along a prescribed regular school route, has requested reimbursement from the District for the costs incurred by the parent in transporting the child to the gathering place.
The obligations of a school district in providing transportation for pupils are outlined in K.S.A. 72-8301 et seq.
Under the conditions set forth in subsection (b)(1) of K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 72-8302, as amended by L. 2000, Ch. 155, § 4, a school district is obligated to provide transportation for pupils attending the schools of the school district.
However, the authority of a school district to provide transportation to pupils is not limited to providing such service to only those pupils who attend the schools of the school district.
"(a) Whenever any school district shall provide or furnish transportation under authority of this act for pupils attending the public schools, pupils residing in such school district attending private or parochial schools of elementary or high school grades which are accredited by the state board of education, who shall reside on or along the highway or street constituting the regular route of a school bus, or who shall gather at some place on the regular route nearest or most easily accessible to their homes or such schools, where such transportation is provided for pupils attending the public schools, shall be entitled to the privilege of such school bus transportation upon such regular route as arranged for the benefit of pupils attending public schools. For the purposes of this section, regular route shall not include any route arranged by the school district for the transportation of exceptional children to special education services.
"(b) Whenever any school district shall provide or furnish transportation under authority of article 83 of chapter 72 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated for pupils attending the public schools, it may provide or furnish transportation for pupils residing in the district and attending private or parochial schools of elementary or high school grades which are accredited by the state board of education to such extent and upon such conditions as the school district shall deem appropriate. The authorization contained in this subsection (b) shall be in addition to the requirement provided in subsection (a) of this section.
In determining whether a school district is obligated to reimburse a parent of a pupil who attends a private or parochial school for costs incurred by the parent in transporting the pupil to a gathering place along the prescribed regular school route, interpretation of the provisions of K.S.A. 72-8306 is required.
Once the regular school routes are prescribed, the school district's obligation to provide or furnish transportation to pupils attending private or parochial schools within the territory of the school district can be determined. "Where a statute is plain and unambiguous, the court must give effect to the intention of the legislature as expressed, rather than determine what the law should be."(9) The statute clearly states that "pupils . . . attending private or parochial schools . . . who shall reside on or along the highway or street constituting the regular route of a school bus, or who shall gather at some place on the regular route nearest or most easily accessible to their homes or such schools . . . shall be entitled to the privilege of such school bus transportation upon such regular route as arranged for the benefit of pupils attending public schools."(10) There is an affirmative obligation placed upon a school district that provides school bus transportation for its pupils to provide school bus transportation for pupils attending private or parochial schools who reside along a prescribed regular school route or gather at a place along a regular school route. Further, the school district "may provide or furnish transportation for pupils . . . attending private or parochial schools . . . to such extent and upon such conditions as the school district shall deem appropriate."(11) This authority, however, is permissive.(12) There is no mandatory obligation placed upon a school district to provide or furnish transportation for pupils attending private or parochial schools who do not reside along a prescribed regular school route or gather at a place along a regular school route.
Because there is no mandatory obligation to provide or furnish transportation to private or parochial school pupils, a school district is not required to reimburse a private individual for costs incurred in transporting the private or parochial school pupil to a gathering place along a prescribed regular school route.
1. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 72-8302(a), as amended by L. 2000, Ch. 155, § 4.
2. K.S.A. 72-8306 (emphasis added).
3. Hartford Cas. Ins. Co. v. Credit Union 1 of Kansas, 268 Kan. 121, 124-25 (1999) (internal citation omitted).
4. In re Tax Appeal of Alsop Sand Co., Inc., 265 Kan. 510, 520 (1998).
5. Citizens' Utility Ratepayer Board v. State Corporation Commission, 264 Kan. 363, 389 (1998), quoting Kansas-Nebraska Natural Gas Co. v. State Corporation Commission, 176 Kan. 561, Syl. ¶ 1.
6. State ex rel. Stephan v. U.S.D. No. 428, 231 Kan. 579, 584 (1982).
7. Id. at 585. See also K.S.A. 72-8301(c).
8. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 72-8303, as amended by L. 2000, Ch. 155, § 2.
9. Hartford Cas. Ins. Co., 268 Kan. at 124-25.
10. K.S.A. 72-8306(a) (emphasis added).
11. K.S.A. 72-8306(b) (emphasis added).
12. Attorney General Opinion No. 81-25.
13. 1978 Senate Journal, 1286, March 29, 1978.
14. Attorney General Opinion No. 81-25.
15. Hartford Casualty Ins. Co., 268 Kan. at 132, quoting KPERS v. Reimer & Koger Assocs., Inc., 262 Kan. 635, 643 (1997).

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