1. | VOLUNTEER DRIVERS & DIRECTION OF STUDENT TRANSPORTATION1.1. | This procedure addresses curricular and extra-curricular transportation of students where specific volunteer drivers, including staff, are organized, directed and supervised by School District No. 36 (宅男社区).
The district is responsible for supervision and coordination of transportation of students during instructional time. | | 1.2. | Outside of the scope of this procedure is transportation to or from the student’s home, group transportation via commercial carriers and emergency medical transportation. |
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2. | PARENTAL CONSENT2.1. | Where student activities involve transportation by volunteer drivers, parents are to be informed and must consent to the arrangements. |
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3. | SELECTION OF VOLUNTEER DRIVERS3.1. | Selection of volunteer drivers should include consideration of the following criteria and may include other factors the educator-in-charge and principal deem appropriate. | 3.2. | Driver licensing must be in British Columbia and appropriate to the licensing of the vehicle being utilized and number of persons to be transported. | 3.3. | Vehicle licensing must be in British Columbia. | 3.4. | The driver must be competent to drive, as established by viewing a current Driver’s Abstract. | 3.5. | Volunteer drivers must successfully complete Criminal Records Check with Vulnerable Sector obtained through the Criminal Records Review Program | 3.6. | Use of learner (“L”) drivers as volunteer drivers is strictly prohibited. | 3.7. | Use of novice (“N”) drivers as volunteer drivers is permitted only for trips within Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. | 3.8. | A novice (“N”) driver may transport only one passenger that is not a family member. | 3.9. | If the volunteer driver is an adult novice (“N”) driver, written consent for the use of the novice (“N”) driver must be obtained from the parents of the non- related student to be transported | | 3.10. | If the volunteer driver is a novice (“N”) driver and a student, written consent for the use of the novice (“N”) driver must be obtained from:| d) | Parents of student to be transported; and | | e) | Parents of the student volunteer driver. |
| | 3.11. | Volunteer suitability should be considered with the factors enunciated in Policy #10310 - School Volunteers and its procedure being a reference. | | 3.12. | Vehicle condition is to be certified by the driver. If something indicates a vehicle may not be roadworthy, it must not be utilized. | | 3.13. | Vehicles licenced for private purposes with a seating capacity of more than ten including the driver are not permitted for transportation of students by volunteer drivers. |
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4. | ORIENTATION OF VOLUNTEER DRIVERS4.1. | Instructions on the field study schedule, route, and passenger list must be clearly communicated to volunteer drivers. | 4.2. | Volunteer drivers are to be oriented as to obligations and responsibilities of staff, volunteers and students including school procedures, particularly those related to safety, emergencies and the reporting of incidents (Procedure 5815.1 – Risk Management – Incident Reports and Procedure 9615.1 – Student Accident & Illness at School); confidentiality requirements; and requirements for vehicle passenger restraint systems. |
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5. | VEHICLE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEMS5.1. | All automobile passengers are required by the Motor Vehicle Act to wear a seatbelt. | 5.2. | Where a vehicle is equipped with a front passenger air bag, vehicle manufacturers recommend that children aged 12 and under should not occupy that seat. | 5.3. | Booster seats are required for children over 18 kg. (40 lbs) until they are 9 years old unless they have reached the height of 145 cm (4’9”). |
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6. | DOCUMENTATION6.1. | The following documentation is required to be completed before an individual may act in the capacity as a volunteer driver: to document the selection and authorization of volunteer drivers:| d) | A Volunteer Drivers’ Application form authorized by the principal or vice-principal | | e) | A personal driving record, also known as a drivers’ abstract, which may be obtained online at ICBC by the driver at no charge. In order to act as a volunteer driver, the driver’s abstract must show: | i. | Driver Status: Normal | | ii. | No more than two Motor Vehicle Act violations in the past three years. | | iii. | No more than three points in the last three years | | iv. | No suspension or prohibition in the last five years. |
| | f) | A Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector obtained online through the Criminal Records Review Program| i. | Staff acting as volunteer drivers will already have a criminal record check completed by human resources. An additional criminal record check is not required for staff. |
| | g) | Approved Driver Application forms are valid for the current school year. New documentation must be obtained each school year or when the information provided changes if there are changes during the school year.| i. | Criminal Records Checks are valid for 5 years |
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| 6.2. | A Staff/Volunteer Transportation Record is required each time volunteer drivers transport students. This form is designed to facilitate orderly recording of field study and extra-curricular transportation arrangements at the school. It is to be signed by the educator-in-charge and filed with the school’s file on the field study (Records Classification File #11150-20). |
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7. | INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR VOLUNTEER DRIVERS7.1. | The following is intended to establish a general understanding of insurance coverage for volunteer drivers. The precise attributes of insurance coverage are established by the legal terms outlined in insurance policies and are subject to interpretation by the courts. | 7.2. | A volunteer driver, for the purposes of this insurance discussion, is voluntarily acting on behalf of or assisting the district while using or operating a vehicle not owned by the district. | 7.3. | In the event of a motor vehicle accident, insurance claims are satisfied pursuant to the terms of the insurance coverage carried on the vehicle involved. | 7.4. | Volunteer drivers must maintain (at minimum) $1,000,000 third-party liability insurance coverage on a vehicle used to transport students. The Schools Protection Program (SPP) provides excess liability coverage above the vehicles’ insurances, provided the vehicle has at least $1,000,000 third party liability coverage., - | | 7.5. | The district does not insure volunteer vehicles for physical damage (comprehensive or collision). Volunteer drivers must determine for themselves whether to obtain such insurance, though it is recommended. |
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8. | REFERENCES AND RELATED DOCUMENTS |
9. | AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY9.1. | Superintendent of Schools
| 9.2. | Director, Risk Management Services
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10. | HISTORY| Revised: | 2025-xx-xx
2023-06-29
2020-03-02
2018-06-20
2017-09-20
2008-09-22
2005-06-30
2004-06-01
2002-02-19
2000-10-12
| | Approved: | 1998-03-26 |
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