Transportation

bus drivers

Contact Information

Transportation Director: Kerri Leliefeld

509.464.5530

509.276.2872

kerri.leliefeld@dpsdmail.org

Request for Bus Transportation

Request Form '24-'25

Welcome!

We are excited to welcome you to the 2024–2025 school year! As always, our driving team is diligently preparing to ensure another safe and smooth year of transportation for all our students.

This year, we have made some adjustments to our bus routes. To assist us in the routing process and ensure the best possible service, please fill out the attached Request Form. If you have had any changes to an address or are new to our schools, please submit the form to the transportation department by Thursday, August 22, 2024.

This will help us add the student to our routes. If you need to have your child ride a different bus during the day, we need to be notified by noon.  So much is going on during the afternoon we need that time for clear and safe communication.

We invite you to meet our dedicated transportation team on Monday, August 26, 2024 @ 3 O'clock.  This will be a great opportunity to talk with your driver and see the transportation department.  

Thank you for your cooperation and support. We look forward to a successful school year and to serving your transportation needs with the highest standards of safety.

Providing safe school bus transportation services for the Deer Park community is the core of what we do. The timely and safe delivery of students to and from school is a huge responsibility that requires the teamwork of many people. Bus drivers, mechanics, a dispatcher, and the transportation supervisor act as a team to accomplish safe transportation for all students every day.

Buses are inspected prior to leaving the transportation facility each day to insure that all mechanical and safety systems operate properly. In addition, regular preventative maintenance keeps the fleet in top condition. The Washington State Patrol inspects the entire fleet each summer and they also arrive unannounced during the winter and randomly inspect 25% of the fleet. Every bus driver in Deer Park is thoroughly trained and attend annual in-service classes to keep up to date with safety awareness. Each of our drivers hold commercial driver licenses and are subject to Washington State Patrol and FBI background checks. We transport thousands of children each and every day, and we’re proud of the efficiency and professionalism evident in our work.

Thank you for working with us to help ensure the safety of our students each and every day. If you have questions that aren’t answered in the FAQ below, please don’t hesitate to use the contact information to the right to call or email with your questions!

Do you have an excellent driving record?
Looking for part-time work?

We’re frequently looking for people to join our team of DPSD drivers. We’ll work with you and pay for your training and certifications costs!

If you’re interested, please give Kerri Leliefeld a call at 464-5530.

Safety is our utmost concern while on the bus!

A friendly reminder of a few of the safety guidelines.

1.  Staying seated and face forward

2.  Hands to self and inside voices

3.  No eating or drinking on the bus

4.  Prohibited items:  glass containers, weapons, and e-cigarettes.

Please keep in mind our goal is to get your kids from home to school, and from school to home safely.  If we work together this will be a great year.

Please don’t hesitate to call the bus garage at 509-464-5530 if you have any questions.

Stay Safe,

Kerri Leliefeld, Supervisor

Stacy Sturdevant, Assistant Supervisor

Reminders and Resources

Things you can do to help us keep your child safe:

  1. Have your child at the assigned stop 5 minutes prior to bus arrival time.

  2. Please encourage your child to stand at least 10 feet back from the roadway at the bus stop.

  3. Inform your child to wait for the bus driver to motion him/her across the roadway.

  4. During winter months, when it is dark in the morning, have your child carry a flashlight or wear reflective clothing to the stop.

  5. Please let the bus garage know if your child won’t be riding.

  6. If your child is to get off at a stop other than his/her own, have the school office issue a pass for the student to give to the driver.

  7. If you have a kindergartner or preschooler, please make yourself visible to the driver when your child arrives home or your child will not be dropped off. Also let us know if anyone else is authorized to get your kindergarten child off the bus.

  8. Please review the bus rules with your child(ren).

Bus Pass Form

Transportation FAQ

Information you can use and answers to the questions we hear most:

WSP

The Washington State Patrol prepared a video that will take just a few minutes of time to refresh your knowledge on how to drive safely around school busses as they are picking up and dropping off our children. The law states the $394 fine for failure to stop for a school bus cannot be reduced, suspended, or waived. If you get a ticket for failure to stop for a school bus you will pay the full amount.

Of course it is always important to practice safe driving, but when you see a yellow school bus, it typically means children are present and we ask for you to use extra caution.