Local educational agencies: home-to-school transportation.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools, provide instruction, and provide home-to-school transportation to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. This bill would prohibit a school district, county office of education, or charter school from contracting with a provider of home-to-school transportation, as defined, or making payments to a contractor for home-to-school transportation services, unless the contractor, and any subcontractors, are properly insured and licensed to provide home-to-school transportation services and the contractor certifies that each driver who will perform home-to-school transportation meets certain requirements, as provided. The bill would also impose requirements for those vehicles used by contractors for home-to-school transportation, as provided. The bill would apply these provisions only to contracts entered into or renewed after January 1, 2023. The bill would grant the State Department of Education sole regulatory authority to enforce those provisions and would require the department to conduct an investigation every 2 years of both home-to-school transportation contractors and local educational agencies, as provided.