Student Transportation Amendments

9
53F-2-403
0
Student Transportation Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Emily Buss
House Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends a student's eligibility for state-supported transportation.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
amends a student's eligibility for state-supported transportation;
requires a school district that receives certain transportation funds to provide
transportation to certain students;
allows a parent to petition a school district;
allows the state board to designate certain transportation funds for a specific purpose; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
This bill appropriates
$500,000
in operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2027, all of
which is from the Income Tax Fund.
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53F-2-403
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 23
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53F-2-403
is amended to read:
53F-2-403
. Eligibility for state-supported transportation -- Approved bus routes.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Crosswalk" means the same as that term is defined in Section
41-6a-102
.
(b)
"Hazardous route" means a path between a student's residence and the student's
assigned school that a student must travel to get to school that contains one or more
of the following conditions:
(i)
a highway the student must pass alongside or cross where:
(A)
the speed limit is 50 miles per hour or greater; and
(B)
there is no separated sidewalk or multi-use path;
(ii)
a route where a student must walk on the shoulder of a road because:
(A)
of the absence of a sidewalk; or
(B)
the sidewalk is not separated from traffic by a curb or green space; and
(iii)
a route where a student must cross:
(A)
a highway with four or more lanes; or
(B)
an intersection where pedestrian-involved crashes occur at a rate higher than
the average for a similar intersection.
(c)
"Highway" means the same as that term is defined in Section
72-1-102
.
(d)
"Middle school" means a public secondary school that provides instruction to a
student between the elementary and high school levels.
(e)
"Sidewalk" means the same as that term is defined in Section
41-6a-102
.
(1)
(2)
(a)
A
Except as provided in Subsection
(2)(b)
, a
student eligible for
state-supported transportation means:
(a)
(i)
except as provided in
Subsection
(1)
(b)
Subsection
(2)(a)(ii)
, a student
enrolled in kindergarten through grade 6 who lives at least 1-1/2 miles from
school;
(b)
(ii)
a student enrolled in grade 6, if grade 6 is in a middle school, and grades 7
through 12 who lives at least two miles from school; and
(c)
(iii)
a student enrolled in a special program
offered by
a school district
offers

and
approved by
the state board
approves
for trainable, motor,
multiple-disability, or other students with severe disabilities who are incapable of
walking to school or where it is unsafe for students to walk because of their
disabling condition, without reference to distance from school.
(b)
Subject to Subsection
(3)(b)
, a student is eligible for state-supported transportation
regardless of the distance between the student's residence and the school if:
(i)
the student is enrolled in:
(A)
kindergarten through grade 9, if grade 9 is in a middle school; and
(B)
a school located in the county of the first, second, or third class as described in
Section
17-60-104
; and
(ii)
the student's primary walking route to school is a hazardous route.
(3)
(a)
A school district that receives the transportation funds described in Subsection
(5)(d)
from the state board shall:
(i)
use the funds to provide transportation to and from school to an eligible student
under Subsection
(2)(b)
; and
(ii)
respond to a petition described in Subsection (3)(b) within 30 days.
(b)
A school district is not required to provide transportation to an eligible student
described in Subsection (2)(b) unless the school district receives specific
transportation funds the state board designates under Subsection
(5)(d)
.
(c)
A parent may petition the school district's school board to designate a specific route
to a school as a hazardous route.
(2)
(4)
If a school district implements double sessions as an alternative to new building
construction, with the approval of the state board, those affected elementary school
students residing less than 1-1/2 miles from school may be transported one way to or
from school because of safety factors relating to darkness or other hazardous conditions
as
determined by
the local school board
determines
.
(3)
(5)
(a)
The state board shall distribute transportation money to school districts based
on:
(i)
an allowance per mile for approved bus routes;
(ii)
an allowance per hour for approved bus routes; and
(iii)
a minimum allocation for each school district eligible for transportation funding.
(b)
(i)
Except as provided in Subsection (3)(b)(ii), the
The
state board shall
distribute appropriated transportation funds based on the prior year's eligible
transportation costs as legally reported under Subsection
53F-2-402(3)
.
(ii)
The state board shall distribute state appropriations for transportation for fiscal
years 2021 and 2022 using fiscal year 2019 eligible transportation costs described
in Subsection 53F-2-402(3).
(c)
The state board shall annually review the allowance per mile and the allowance per
hour and adjust the allowances to reflect current economic conditions.
(d)
The state board may designate specific transportation funds to a school district:
(i)
for the students eligible for transportation funding under Subsection
(2)(b)
;
(ii)
to provide additional bus stops, capacity, routes, or drivers; or
(iii)
for the purposes described in Subsection
(3)
.
(e)
If the state board distributes the transportation funds described in Subsection
(5)(d)

to a school district, the state board shall distribute the funds to the school district the
state board determines to be in the most need of the funding to eliminate a hazardous
route.
(4)
(6)
(a)
Approved bus routes for funding purposes shall be determined on fall data
collected by October 1.
(b)
Approved route funding shall be determined on the basis of the most efficient and
economic routes.
(5)
(7)
A local school board may provide for the transportation of students regardless of
the distance from school, from general funds of the school district.
Section 2.
FY 2027 Appropriations.
The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
2026, and ending June 30, 2027. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
fiscal year 2027.
Subsection 2(a).
Operating and Capital Budgets
Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, the
Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts indicated for
the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION - MINIMUM SCHOOL PROGRAM
ITEM 1
State Board of Education - Minimum School Program - Related to Basic
School Programs
From Income Tax Fund, One-time
500,000
Pupil Transportation - Unsafe Routes
500,000
Section 3.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2026
.
2-23-26 5:57 PM