Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Key Dates for Nonpublic School Transportation
| Document or Process | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Review of transportation problems | Nonpublic school administrators review any transportation problems experienced by their respective schools for the upcoming school year. | September |
| Student transportation provided | Time period during which transportation for nonpublic students shall be provided when school is in session. | September 1–June 30 |
|
District board of education submits transportation summary to the nonpublic school administrator for certification of students currently receiving transportation or aid in lieu (AIL) for the first semester. District Board of Education evaluates the completed certification report and, if approved, will continue to provide transportation services or a payment of transportation aid to the parents or legal guardians of the eligible students. |
December–January |
| Scheduling of annual meeting | Nonpublic school administrators should contact the Executive County Superintendent (ECS) to request the date for the annual meeting on transportation. | January–February |
| Annual meeting | ECS convene transportation meeting with public and nonpublic school representatives and representatives of the coordinated transportation services agencies (CTSA). | January–May (At the discretion of the ECS) |
| Application for Nonpublic School Transportation (B6T) | Parents or legal guardians must complete the application for nonpublic school transportation (B6T) and submit it to the nonpublic school administrator by this date for the upcoming school year. Late applications are defined as those received after the March 10 deadline | By March 10 |
| Transportation forms | Nonpublic administrators submit transportation forms to the students’ resident district boards of education by the deadline of March 15 of the school year preceding the one for which transportation is requested or within 30 days of the students’ registration in the nonpublic school. | By March 15 |
| Nonpublic consultation | Nonpublic and district administrators consult, at the request of the nonpublic school. The consultation shall occur prior to preparing bus routes and in a timely manner that allows sufficient time to publicly advertise for bids and notify parents by the August 1st deadline. | April–July |
|
District board of education submits transportation summary to the nonpublic school administrator for certification of the nonpublic school students currently receiving transportation/AIL for the second semester. District board of education evaluates the certification report and, if approved, will continue to provide transportation services or a payment of transportation aid voucher to the parents or legal guardians of the eligible students. |
May |
| School calendar | Nonpublic school administrator submits the school calendar to the resident district board of education. | By May 15 |
| School routes and method of transportation | District prepares school routes and determines method of transportation (district owned, contracted, CTSA, joint transportation agreements, etc.) using criteria specified in 6A:27-2.1(b)31 and after consultation with nonpublic schools. If appropriate, district issues bid specifications. | By August 1 |
| Parental and nonpublic notification | District notifies parents and nonpublic school administrator as to the determination of each application for nonpublic school transportation. | By August 1 |
Note about Bids
The district, in seeking bids or coordinating transportation services, must consider the following criteria prior to determining the method of providing transportation services [6A:27-2.1(b)3]:
- There are an adequate number of resident students attending the nonpublic school(s) to support a bus route.
- The location of the nonpublic school is within the district or regional school district.
- Tiered routes can be designed to include public and nonpublic schools. A tiered route shall mean the utilization of a single vehicle to service more than one route.
- Routes can be designed to transport public and nonpublic school students on the same bus.
- Routes can be designed to service multiple nonpublic school destinations.
- The route can be designed according to local policy regarding length of time.
Bid Specifications
18A:39-11.2 1.(c) Specifications shall be prepared by the local school district seeking transportation services or by any other cooperative transportation services agency, as designated by the Commissioner of Education, that is not bidding.