Transportation of Students in Private Vehicles 4-25.1

School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Regulation 4-25.1

PERSONNEL

Transportation of Students in Private Vehicles

1. General Requirements
   1. No employee who has been convicted of two or more traffic violations within the preceding 12 months, has two or more unresolved traffic violations within the preceding 12 months, or has one conviction and one or more unresolved traffic violation(s) within the preceding 12 months, shall drive students on a field trip or to/from a school-related event.
   2. No employee who has been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol within the preceding five (5) years or who has a driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol charge pending, shall drive students on a field trip or to/from a school-related event.
   3. The coach, activity sponsor, or building principal shall require any employee driving students in a private vehicle to display a valid driver’s license, student permission slips, and to sign a written statement, on a School Administration approved form, that such driver does not have convictions or any pending charge(s) which violate the provisions of subsection A paragraphs 1 and/or 2, and further agreeing to provide a DMV abstract in response to a request by School Administration, prior to such coach, sponsor, or building principal authorizing such employee to transport students. No driver who refuses to provide a DMV abstract upon the request of School Administration shall be permitted to drive students on a field trip or to/from a school-related event.
2. Approval Process
   1. When no school bus/van/car transportation is available and participation in the event could not occur if private transportation were not made available by an employee, School Division employees may use their vehicles to transport students to/from school-related events, such as trips or athletic events, where a limited number of students are involved.
   2. Prior to undertaking such transportation, the employee is required to submit a written request which includes the details of the trip, on an approved form, to the building principal or designee. The employee is responsible for seeing that written student permission slips, on approved forms, are gathered from the students who are to go on the trip, and that such forms are delivered to the building principal. Prior to actually taking the trip, the employee is required to file with the building principal a statement of the employee’s personal vehicle insurance coverage, a photocopy of the employee’s valid driver's license, and the written certification required by subsection A.3. In order to deal with emergency situations, such as the unavailability of School Division transportation, employees who coach Virginia High School League athletic teams should file a signed Athletic Field Trip Form for each student, a Release, Waiver and Indemnification Form signed by the adult student or the parents/legal guardians of each minor student, a statement of the employee’s personal vehicle insurance coverage, a photocopy of the employee’s driver's license, and the written certification required by subsection A.3. with the building principal. The employee shall be reimbursed for mileage as set forth in Regulation 4-38.1, Travel Expenditures Reimbursement.
3. Scope of School Board Liability Insurance
   1. The School Board's current insurance carrier has advised that an employee's personal insurance would be used first in the case of an accident to cover medical and liability payments for the employee and occupants of the car. The School Board's current automobile liability policy protects the School Board against liability suits arising from use of private vehicles by School Board employees and can also be used as excess coverage after an individual employee's personal liability policy has been exhausted to cover the accident.

Related Links

School Board Regulation 4-38.1
School Board Policy 6-56

Adopted by Superintendent: September 27, 2000
Revised by Superintendent: November 3, 2021