Transportation

Open-enrolled students and St. Mary must obey and adhere to all school district rules and policies regarding busing and proper conduct on district buses.


Information for Open-Enrolled Students

South Dakota Codified Law 13-28-45 provides that the parent or guardian of a student who has been accepted for open enrollment is responsible for transporting the student to school without reimbursement. However, the receiving district may provide transportation and charge a reasonable fee if the student elects to use transportation services offered by the district.

Parents who open enroll their children into the Dell Rapids School District from another school district may utilize the Dell Rapids School District transportation service by meeting the school bus along a regular bus route and paying the following annual fee:
$80.00 per child, maximum of $200.00 per family.
(Payment due @ fall registration.)

On a case-by-case basis, the school board may consider extending the bus route outside district boundaries for the purpose of providing bus service to students who are open enrolled into the Dell Rapids School District. The criteria that will be used in deciding whether the route should be extended out of the district include, but are not limited to: safety, number of students regularly riding the bus, additional miles, additional time, and efficiency. The fees to be charged for extending the bus route will be determined by the school board.

 

Information for Rural Resident Students Enrolled in St. Mary Schools

South Dakota Codified Law 13-29-1.2 provides that public school districts may provide transportation to nonpublic school students if no additional public funds are expended to provide the transportation.

Rural St. Mary students whose residence is located along the regular bus route for transporting public school students may ride the bus at no charge.

Rural St. Mary students whose residence is outside the regular bus route, as determined by residences of public school students, will be given the option to (1) meet the bus at a point along the regular bus route, or (2) pay the $432.50 annual cost for each mile added to the bus route.

Information for Rural Non-Resident Students Enrolled in St. Mary Schools

Rural students enrolled in St. Mary Schools, who are not residents of the Dell Rapids School District, may be provided transportation if they are taken to an established stop on the current bus route. The following annual fee will be charged:
$80.00 per child, maximum of $200.00 per family
(Payment must be submitted @ fall registration )