Transportation

Mustang Public Schools transports more than 9,000 students safety to and from school each day. There are some neighborhoods, however, that are so close to the school that students can walk safely. Transportation is not provided to the following neighborhoods to the school sites listed:

• Prairie View - Silverleaf West and Prairie View Hills

• Trails Elementary: Country Estates; Asher Street and Camber Street

• Riverwood Elementary: Mustang Park

• Horizon Intermediate: The Heights

• Canyon Ridge Intermediate: Brookstone Lakes and Sara Park

• Meadow Brook Intermediate: Patco

• Central Middle School: Mustang Park

• Mustang Middle School: The Heights

• Mustang High Schools: The Heights and The Meadows

Mustang also does not provide transportation for students who transfer from another district, or who transfer within the district from their home school to a different Mustang School. Transportation is also not provided for pre-kindergarten students.

Elementary/intermediate students may have to walk up to a quarter of a mile-with the rare exception of a longer walk due to private roads or neighborhoods that do not have enough room to turn a bus around without backing. Middle school students may be asked to walk up to 1/2 mile. High school may be asked to walk up to a mile.

After Sept. 15, if your child needs to ride a different bus within his/her school’s boundaries, such as to a grandparent’s house, please download a copy of the Special Bus Riding Privilege Form. You can email the completed form  to transportationdept@mustangps.org or your child can bring the completed form to their school’s front office. Please fill out the form at least three days in advance. There may be times when the request cannot be accommodated based on the capacity of a particular route. Only students who are assigned to a regular bus route may use the special bus riding privileges. Transfer students and others who are not assigned to ride a bus cannot use the form.

Special Bus Rider Form

During the first four weeks of school, the student population continues to change as additional students are enrolled in school while others are dropped from the rolls. We evaluate each route on a case-by-case basis, understanding that the population for that bus is likely to change during the first few weeks. If there is a sustained issue of overcrowding on a bus, then changes will be made.

If you have concerns after Sept. 15 regarding the number of students on a particular route, please email us at transportationdept@mustangps.org. Please include the route number and which school the route is servicing. Remember that although a bus may be crowded, it doesn’t necessarily mean the bus is over capacity.

Mustang Public Schools has 55 bus routes, including special needs routes. There are 43 regular routes. All routes service at least two and some, up to four schools, which means they run their routes two to three times morning and afternoon.

In total, MPS has around 85 buses. These are used not only as replacements when a bus goes in for maintenance or has mechanical issues, but they are also used to take students to activities including athletics, the arts, field trips and more.

If you have a non-emergency question, please email transportationdept@mustangps.org. Include the route, school and a brief description of the question. Transportation staff will respond as soon as possible. While the buses are running routes, please call only if you have an emergency. Buses are running from 6 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the regular arrival time of the bus. If there is a substitute driver, the times may not be absolutely consistent with the regular times. Ask your child to wait. Buses are subject to the same issues as passenger cars: traffic, blocked roads or mechanical breakdowns. A bus will always be at every stop. If the wait is longer than 15 minutes, please call the transportation department at 405-376-2630.

Drivers check their buses at the end of every day route and hold items left behind for several days. Children may claim their items the next time they’re on the bus. After several days, the driver will make an effort to locate the owner. Items that remain unclaimed are donated to charity. Please label all of your child’s belongings with their name and school. When inquiring about lost articles, please send a message to TransportationDept@mustangps.org and include your child’s name, school, bus route number and a description of the item.

Research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that a “compartmentalization” concept was the safest for transporting children. Buses are made in a way so that seat backs are padded and will absorb impact in the event of an accident. Also, the concept of compartmentalization doesn’t require any action on the part of a child, like buckling a seatbelt.

The Student Conduct Rules

From Board Policy #5155
(Mustang's Policies and Procedures)

PUPIL CONDUCT ON BUSES

Riding a school bus is a privilege.  Student safety is our main priority and rules that are enforced at school also apply on the bus.

The following rules and regulations shall govern the conduct of school bus passengers:

• Students should be at their bus stop five (5) minutes prior to the time the bus is scheduled to arrive.
• Bus drivers will have the same authority over pupils while riding buses as the teachers have while the pupils are in school.  The bus is an extension of the classroom.
• All students must be seated in their assigned seats
• The noise level on the bus must remain at a low quiet voice level to enable the driver to hear emergency and train signals.  Therefore, passengers must not shout, sing or otherwise cause any disturbance that may distract the driver.
• School bus windows must remain closed unless the driver permits them to be opened.  When windows are open, students are not allowed to throw objects from the windows or extend any part of the body through a window.
• The use of tobacco or electronic cigarettes or the consumption of food or beverage is not permitted on school buses.
• No glass containers are allowed on the bus.
• No balloons are allowed on the bus.
• Any passenger who defaces or vandalizes a school bus in any way shall have the bus riding privilege suspended.  No suspended student shall be permitted to resume the bus privilege until all damages for which the student was responsible are paid.
• If a student is denied transportation for any reason, the parent(s) must be notified.  The bus driver shall not put a child off the bus other than at the student's regular stop without written parental permission.
• Horseplay is not allowed in or around the bus.
• Students must keep all objects out of the aisle.
• Students should never tamper with the emergency door or windows of the bus.
• Be respectful and courteous to the bus driver at all times.
• Proper conduct at the bus stop is expected.  Parents should be aware of the children's activities and behavior at the bus stop.
• No profanity will be allowed.
• Technology center transportation will be provided for students to and from the technology center.  Students who do not desire to ride the bus may provide their own transportation by completing a Parental Permission form.  The form may be picked up in the Front Office of the Mustang High School.  Permission may be granted when the completed form is turned in to the assistant principal.

Conduct on the bus will be strictly enforced according to the District’s Policy and Procedures Handbook. The bus riding is a privilege and may be lost due to inappropriate conduct.