Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 28 - EDUCATION › Part CXIII - Bulletin 119-Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures › Chapter 31 - Glossary of Definitions › Section CXIII-3101 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
Accident-
any incident in which a school bus
				  is involved that results in death, personal injury, and/or property damage,
				  regardless of who was responsible. This applies whether the school bus was in
				  motion, temporarily stopped, parked, being loaded, or unloaded and on public or
				  private property.
Accident Reporting Form-
form used to report
				  the occurrence of any incident which involves death, personal injury and/or
				  property damage regardless of who was responsible. This applies whether the
				  school bus was in motion, temporarily stopped parked, being loaded, or unloaded
				  and on public or private property. Use of the form promotes the compilation of
				  accurate, uniform, and reliable information about school bus accidents so that
				  problems and trends can be identified and effective safety programs can be
				  developed.
Activity Bus Driver
-a person meeting all
				  licensing requirements and local, state and federal regulations to operate a
				  vehicle used to transport students to and from school-related activities or on
				  "as-needed" basis for the LEA.
Alternately Flashing Signal Lamps-
a system
				  of red and amber signal lamps mounted horizontally both front and rear,
				  intended to identify a vehicle as a school bus and to inform other users of the
				  highway that the bus is about to stop or is stopped to load or unload
				  children.
Attendant (Aide)-
a person assigned to
				  assist one or more individual student(s) on a school bus or school
				  vehicle.
BESE-
Board of Elementary and Secondary
				  Education
.
Body Fluids Cleanup Kit-
package of
				  materials including, but not limited to, latex gloves, disposal bag, and
				  absorbent material, used to clean up spills of potentially infected bodily
				  fluids, under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens regulations and Universal Precautions
				  practice.
Cancellation
-a driver's license is annulled
				  because of some error or defect or because the licensee is no longer entitled
				  to such license, but the cancellation of a license is without prejudice and
				  application for a new license may be made at any time after such
				  cancellation.
CFR-Code of Federal Regulations
.
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
-the
				  license required to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
Commercial Motor Vehicle
-a motor vehicle or
				  combination of motor vehicles used in commerce to transport passengers or
				  property if the motor vehicle meets one of the following requirements:
1. has a gross combination weight rating of twenty-six
				  thousand one or more pounds inclusive of a towed unit with a gross vehicle
				  weight rating of more than ten thousand pounds;
2. has a gross vehicle weight rating of twenty-six thousand
				  one or more pounds;
3. is designed to transport sixteen or more passengers,
				  including the driver.
Controlled-Access Highway
-every highway,
				  street, or roadway in respect to which owners or occupants of abutting lands
				  and other persons have no legal right of access to or from the same except at
				  such points only and in such manner as may be determined by the public
				  authority having jurisdiction over such highway, street, or roadway.
Convicted
or
Conviction
-includes the entry of a plea of guilty or nolo
				  contendere to a felony offense.
Criminal Record Check-
the investigation of
				  a person's criminal history through submission of fingerprints to state and/or
				  federal authorities; also known as background check.
Crossing Control Arm-
a device attached to
				  the front bumper of a school bus that is activated during loading and unloading
				  and designed to force the students to walk far enough away from the front of
				  the bus to be seen by the driver.
Cross-Walk
-
1. part of a roadway at an intersection included within the
				  connections of the lateral lines of the sidewalks on opposite sides of the
				  highway measured from the curbs or, in absence of curbs, from the edges of the
				  traversable roadway;
2. any portion of a roadway at an intersection or elsewhere
				  distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the
				  surface.
Dealer-
any person who is engaged in the
				  sale and distribution of new motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment.
DOE-
Department of Education.
Divided Highway
-any highway divided into
				  roadways by a median, physical barrier, or clearly indicated dividing section
				  so constructed as to impede vehicular traffic.
Driver
-every person who drives or is in
				  actual physical control of a vehicle.
Driver's License
or
License
-any license secured from the Department of Public
				  Safety and Corrections, Office of Motor Vehicles, in accordance with this
				  Chapter to operate a motor vehicle on the highways of this state.
Emergency Evacuation Drill Verification Form (Form
				  T-8)-
form used to verify that emergency drill procedures have been
				  taught to passengers and emergency drills were conducted. The form must be
				  completed at the beginning of each semester and submitted to the district
				  transportation office.
Employee Notification Form-
form used by a
				  school bus driver to report his/her non-compliance with provisions of the
				  Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
				  (FMVSS)-
49 CFR 571, the regulations to which manufacturers of motor
				  vehicles and equipment items must conform and certify compliance. These federal
				  safety standards are regulations written in terms of minimum safety performance
				  requirements.
Gross Weight
-the weight of a vehicle and/or
				  combination of vehicles without load on all axles including the steering axle
				  plus the weight of any load thereon.
Highway
-the entire width between the
				  boundary lines of every way or place of whatever nature publicly maintained and
				  open to the use of the public for the purpose of vehicular travel, including
				  bridges, causeways, tunnels and ferries; synonymous with the word
				  "street".
Intersection
-
1. the area embraced within the prolongation or connection of
				  the lateral curb lines, or, if none, then the lateral boundary lines of the
				  roadways of two highways which join one another at, or approximately at, right
				  angles, or the area within which vehicles traveling upon different highways
				  joining at any other angle may come in conflict;
2. where a highway includes two highways thirty feet or more
				  apart, then every crossing of each highway of such divided highway by an
				  intersecting highway shall be regarded as a separate intersection. In the event
				  such intersecting highway also includes two highways thirty feet or more apart,
				  then every crossing of two highways of such highways shall be regarded as a
				  separate intersection;
3. the junction of an alley with a street or highway shall
				  not constitute an intersection.
Interstate Highway
-a fully controlled
				  access highway which is a part of the National System of Interstate and Defense
				  Highways.
Laned Roadway or Highway
-a roadway or
				  highway which is divided into two or more clearly marked lanes for vehicular
				  traffic.
Length
-the total longitudinal dimension of
				  a single vehicle, a trailer, or a semi-trailer. Length of a trailer or
				  semi-trailer is measured from the front of the cargo-carrying unit to its rear
				  and includes load-holding devices thereon.
Load
-a weight or quantity of anything
				  resting upon something else regarded as its support.
Loading Zone-
any area where students are
				  boarding or leaving a school bus.
Manufacturer-
any person engaged in the
				  manufacturing or assembling of motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle
				  equipment, including any person importing motor vehicle equipment for
				  resale.
Motor Carrier
-any person owning,
				  controlling, managing, operating, or causing to be used or operated any
				  commercial motor vehicle used in the transportation of persons or property over
				  the public highways of this state.
Motor Vehicle
-every vehicle which is
				  self-propelled, and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained
				  from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails, but excluding a
				  motorized bicycle.
Motor vehicle
shall also include a
				  "low-speed vehicle" which is a four-wheeled, electric-powered vehicle with a
				  maximum speed of not less than twenty miles per hour but not more than
				  twenty-five miles per hour and is equipped with the minimum motor vehicle
				  equipment appropriate for vehicle safety as required in
				  49 CFR
				  571.500.
Multiple-Lane Highway-
any highway with two
				  or more clearly marked lanes for traffic in each direction.
NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety
				  Administration-
the agency of the Executive branch of the United States
				  Department of Transportation charged with writing and enforcing safety, theft
				  resistance, and fuel economy standards for motor vehicles.
Operator-
any person, other than a
				  chauffeur, who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle upon
				  a highway or who is exercising control over or steering a vehicle being towed
				  by a motor vehicle.
Owner-
a person who holds a legal title to a
				  vehicle or in the event a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the
				  conditional sale, lease, or transfer of possession thereof with the right of
				  purchase upon the performance of the conditions stated in the agreement, with
				  the right of immediate possession in the vendee, lessee, or possessor.
Park
or
Parking-
the
				  standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than temporarily for
				  the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading merchandise
				  or passengers.
Parking Area-
an area used by the public as
				  a means of access to and egress from, and for the free parking of motor
				  vehicles by patrons of a shopping center, business, factory, hospital,
				  institution, or similar building or location.
Pedestrian
-any person afoot.
Power Lift-
a mechanized platform designed
				  to provide access to a vehicle for an occupied mobility aid/wheelchair; also
				  known as a wheelchair lift.
Private Road or Driveway-
every way or place
				  in private ownership and used for vehicular travel by the owner and those
				  having express or implied permission from the owner, but not by other
				  persons.
Railroad
-a carrier of persons or property
				  upon cars, other than streetcars, operated upon stationary rails.
Railroad Crossing-
the intersection of a
				  highway, street or roadway and railroad tracks.
Railroad Sign or Signal
-
any sign, signal, or device erected by authority of a public body or
				  official or by a railroad and intended to give notice of the presence of
				  railroad tracks or the approach of a railroad train.
Residence District
-the territory contiguous
				  to a highway not comprising a business district, when the frontage on such a
				  highway for a distance of three hundred feet or more is mainly occupied by
				  dwellings or by dwellings and buildings in use for business.
Revocation-
the driver's license to drive a
				  motor vehicle on the highways is terminated and shall not be renewed, except
				  that an application for a new license may be presented and acted upon by the
				  Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of Motor Vehicles, after
				  the expiration of at least one year after revocation.
Right of Way
-the privilege of the immediate
				  use of the highway.
Roadway-
that portion of a highway improved,
				  designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic, exclusive of the berm or
				  shoulder. A divided highway has two or more roadways.
Route-
the term shall apply to the combined
				  total daily trips regularly assigned to the bus driver.
Safe Riding Practices Classroom Instruction Form
				  (Form T-7)-
form used to verify that all students in a school have
				  received instruction on safe school bus riding practices.
Safety Zone-
the area or space officially
				  set apart within a highway for the exclusive use of pedestrians and which is
				  protected or is so marked or indicated by adequate signs as to be plainly
				  visible at all times while set apart as a safety zone.
School Bus
-
1. Federal Definition.
School Bus
-passenger
				  motor vehicle designed to carry a driver and more than 10 passengers, which the
				  Secretary of Transportation decides is likely to be used significantly to
				  transport preprimary, primary, and secondary students to or from school or an
				  event related to school;
2. State Definition.
School Bus
-every motor
				  vehicle that complies with the color, equipment, and identification
				  requirements required by law and is used to transport children to and from
				  school or in connection with school activities, but not including buses
				  operated by common carriers in urban transportation of school children.
a. Type "A" school bus is a conversion or bus constructed
				  utilizing a cutaway front-section vehicle with a left side driver's door. This
				  definition includes two classifications: Type A-1, with a Gross Vehicle Weight
				  Rating (GVWR) of 14,500 pounds or less; and Type A-2, with a GVWR greater than
				  14,500 and less than or equal to 21,500 pounds.
b. Type "B" school bus is constructed utilizing a stripped
				  chassis. The entrance door is behind the front wheels. This definition includes
				  two classifications: Type B-1, with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less; and Type
				  B-2, with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds.
c. Type "C" school bus is constructed utilizing a chassis
				  with a hood and front fender assembly. The entrance door is behind the front
				  wheels; also known as a conventional school bu s. This type also includes
				  cutaway truck chassis or truck chassis with cab with or without a left side
				  door and a GVWR greater than 21,500 pounds.
d. Type "D" school bus is constructed utilizing a stripped
				  chassis. The entrance door is ahead of the front wheels; also known as rear or
				  front engine transit style school buses.
e. Specially equipped school bus is designed, equipped, or
				  modified to accommodate students with special needs.
School Bus Behavior Report Form-
form used
				  to inform parents/guardians of behavioral incidents on the school bus and
				  subsequent disciplinary action taken by school officials. The form requires
				  signature of the principal and allows for comment from the student and/or
				  parent/guardian
School Bus Driver-
the employee or
				  contracted individual hired to operate a school bus over designated routes
				  within an established time schedule, to transport students to and from school
				  or school-related activities, perform daily inspections of a school bus and
				  equipment; to fulfill requirements set by the LEA.
School Bus Operator Certification
				  Program-
the school bus driver certification program developed by the
				  DOE and mandated by state law for all school bus drivers to be eligible to
				  transport students to and from school or school-related activities.
School Bus Purchase Form (Form T-10)-
form
				  to be completed by the seller of any new or used school bus to verify the
				  vehicle meets all Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standards (FMVSS) and
				  requirements set forth by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary
				  Education.
Seat Belt-
the manual restraint system
				  installed by the manufacturer as required by Federal Motor Vehicle Standard No.
				  208 which became effective January 1, 1968.
Shoulder-
the portion of the highway
				  contiguous with the roadway for accommodation of stopped vehicles, for
				  emergency use, and for lateral support of base and surface.
Sidewalk-
that portion of a highway between
				  the curb lines, or the lateral lines of a highway, and the adjacent property
				  lines, intended for the use of pedestrians.
Specially Equipped School Bus-
any school
				  bus designed, equipped, or modified to accommodate students with
				  disabilities.
Special Route
-a route established for
				  students with disabilities who cannot be transported by school buses or within
				  the regular established school bus routing system, and must be transported in
				  non-school buses that meet appropriate federal, state and special equipment
				  requirements.
Stand
or
Standing
-
the halting of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than
				  temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in receiving or
				  discharging passengers.
State Maintained Highway-
any highway in
				  this state which is contained in the state highway system as defined by law or
				  which is maintained by the Department of Transportation and Development.
Stop-
the complete cessation from
				  movement.
Street-
the entire width between the
				  boundary lines of every way or place of whatever nature publicly maintained and
				  open to the use of the public for the purpose of vehicular travel, including
				  bridges, causeways, tunnels, and ferries; synonymous with the word
				  "highway".
Student and Family Verification Form-
form
				  used to verify that parents/guardians have read and reviewed with their child
				  the rules and regulations for students riding buses. The form requires
				  signatures of parent/guardian and student. The completed form is made part of
				  the student's permanent record.
Suspension-
the driver's license to drive a
				  motor vehicle on the highways is temporarily withdrawn during the period of
				  such suspension.
Tenured School Bus Driver-
a full-time
				  driver who has successfully completed the three-year probationary period prior
				  to July 1, 2012.
Through Highway-
every highway or portion
				  thereof on which vehicular traffic is given preferential right of way, and at
				  the entrances to which vehicular traffic from intersecting highways is required
				  by law to yield the right of way to vehicles on such through highway in
				  obedience to either a stop sign or a yield sign, when such signs are erected as
				  provided in this Chapter.
Traffic-
pedestrians, ridden or herded
				  animals, vehicles, and other conveyances either singly or together while using
				  any highway for purposes of travel.
Traffic Control Device-
all signs, signals,
				  markings, and devices, not inconsistent with this Chapter, placed or erected by
				  authority of a public body or official having jurisdiction, for the purpose of
				  regulating, warning, or guiding traffic.
Traffic Control Signal-
a type of highway
				  traffic signal, manually, electrically or mechanically operated, by which
				  traffic is alternately directed to stop and permitted to proceed.
Transportation Vehicle-
include LEA owned
				  school buses, independently owned school buses, or other approved vehicles used
				  for transporting passengers to and from school and school-related
				  activities.
Trip-
that segment of a route in which
				  passengers are picked up at the home bus stop and all passengers are discharged
				  at the school destination, or visa versa.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
				  Promulgated in accordance with
				  R.S.
				  17:158, R.S. 17:160-161, and R.S.
				  17:164-166.