{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-156.153","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 156.153","heading":"School bus standards -- \"School bus\" defined -- Standards and","body":"specifications for accessory equipment and supplies and replacement\nequipment -- Standards for use of non -school bus passenger vehicles -- Use of\nclean transportation fuels.\n(1) (a) All school buses for which bids are made or bid contracts awarded shall meet\nthe standards and specifications of the Kentucky Department of Education.\nThe term \"school bus,\" as used in this section, shall mean any motor vehicle\nwhich meets the standa rds and specifications for school buses as provided by\nlaw or by the standards or specifications of the Kentucky Department of\nEducation authorized by law and used solely in transporting school children\nand school employees to and from school under the sup ervision and control\nand at the direction of school authorities, and shall further include school bus\naccessory equipment and supplies and replacement equipment considered to\nbe reasonably adaptable for purchase from price contract agreements.\n(b) The stan dards and specifications for accessory equipment and supplies and\nreplacement equipment under paragraph (a) of this subsection shall be based\non federal safety standards and shall not discriminate among manufacturers\nunless the Kentucky Department of Educa tion finds evidence that a specific\nmanufacturer's product is defective or dangerous to use.\n(2) School buses shall be clearly marked as transporting students and shall undergo a\nsafety inspection no less than once every thirty (30) days.\n(3) (a) Districts may also use vehicles owned, leased, or contracted by the district\nthat were designed and built by the manufacturer for passenger transportation\nof ten (10) or fewer passengers, including the driver, for transporting students\nto and from school along regular bus routes and approved school activities.\n(b) Non-school bus passenger vehicles used under this subsection shall be clearly\nmarked as transporting students and undergo a safety inspection no less than\nonce every thirty (30) days. However, non -school bus passenger vehicles that\nare not for daily use shall not be required to be inspected more frequently than\nonce every three (3) months.\n(c) Non-school bus passenger vehicles used under this subsection shall be\noperated by an employee or contractor of a lo cal school district that has a\nvalid Class D operator's license. An individual that operates a non -school bus\npassenger vehicle to transport a student or students without a current valid\nlicense required by this paragraph shall be subject to the penalties set forth in\nKRS 156.990(4).\n(d) The Kentucky Board of Education shall promulgate administrative regulations\nin accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to establish:\n1. Minimum standards and specifications for non -school bus passenger\nvehicles used under this subs ection, including a standard for minimum\ninsurance coverage;\n2. Minimum route safety standards and pick -up and drop-off protocols for\ntransporting students to and from school along a regular bus route using\nnon-school bus passenger vehicles that prohibit non -school bus\npassenger vehicles from depositing a student at a location that would\nrequire the student to cross a road or intersection to reach the student's\ndestination;\n3. a. Minimum qualifications, training, and drug testing requirements\nfor an individual to be authorized to transport any student using a\nnon-school bus passenger vehicle owned, leased, or contracted by\na school district.\nb. The minimum requirements for an individual authorized to\ntransport students to and from approved school activities shall:\ni. Require an individual to possess a valid driver's lice nse and\nidentify any moving violations that would disqualify an\nindividual from being authorized to transport any student in a\nnon-school bus passenger vehicle;\nii. Include an initial three (3) hour training and a basic first aid\nand cardiopulmonary resuscitation training; and\niii. Include drug testing requirements that shall require an\nindividual to submit to drug testing consistent, to the greatest\nextent practicable, with the requirements of 49 C.F.R. pt. 40.\nc. The minimum requirements for an individual  transporting students\nalong a regular bus route:\ni. Shall include the requirements for an individual authorized\nto transport students to and from approved school activities;\nand\nii. May include additional requirements deemed necessary.\nd. A local board of education may establish additional qualifications,\ntraining, and drug testing requirements for an individual to be\nauthorized to transport any student in a non -school bus passenger\nvehicle.\n(e) The transportation of a student pursuant to an agreement betw een a school\ndistrict and a parent to reimburse the parent for arranging transportation of his\nor her own child to and from school or approved school activities shall not be\nsubject to any requirement imposed pursuant to this section.\n(4) As part of its re gular procedure for establishing and updating standards and\nspecifications for school buses and non -school bus passenger vehicles, the\nKentucky Department of Education shall consider allowing school buses to operate\nusing clean transportation fuels, as def ined in KRS 186.750. If the department\ndetermines that school buses or non -school bus passenger vehicles may operate\nusing clean transportation fuels while maintaining the same or a higher degree of\nsafety as fuels currently allowed, it shall update its st andards and specifications to\nallow for such use.","path":["KRS Chapter 156"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56759","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:59Z","sha256":"9fe6400eae3f615204ddffee8fb2a8e4e2bef612a787a9973d0fa1999bfea8c2","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-156.152","next":"us-ky/krs-156.154"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}