1. Why is out of district transportation required?

• If the signed IEP specifies an out of district educational program, the school district is required to provide transportation to the placement at no charge to the parent/guardian. The child’s parent/guardian may also elect to self-transport and be reimbursed for mileage by the district.  

• Please note:  transportation options include NRT (or an alternate transportation vendor identified by the district as appropriate) or parent transportation with reimbursement.  The district is not able to fund NRT and provide reimbursement to the parent simultaneously.
  
  

2. Who will transport my child?

• The North Reading School District contracts with NRT Bus, Inc. to provide out of district transportation.  NRT drivers meet both state and federal mandates for school bus driver training.

• Drivers operating vans or non-bus vehicles must have a 7D license:

https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-a-school-pupil-transport-7d-drivers-certificate

Please note that 7D drivers do not have the same requirements or screening as CDL (school bus) drivers. 

• The NRT dispatch center for North Reading can be reached at (978) 664-1277.

3. How will I know when my child will be picked up and dropped off?

• NRT will communicate directly with the child’s parent/guardian 24-48 hours prior to the first day of transportation at the phone number provided by the District to NRT.  

• If you are unsure if the district has the correct contact information, please follow up with Tracy Cincotta, North Reading Public School District Transportation Coordinator, at (978) 360-1674 or via email at transportation@nrpsk12.org.

• We appreciate your patience at the start of any new transportation request and at the beginning of the school year.  NRT provides transportation to multiple districts and schedules frequently change at the beginning of the school year.

4. What happens if there is a permanent schedule change in my child’s pick up and drop off time?

• NRT will communicate directly with the child’s parent/guardian at a minimum of 24-48 hours prior to the first day of the schedule change at the phone number provided by the district to NRT.   

5. What happens if my child is running late, is out sick, or if part of the day’s transportation will be provided by the child’s parent/guardian (ex. to accommodate a doctor’s appointment)?

• NRT will wait up to 3 minutes and will then depart.  

• Thereafter, the parent/guardian is responsible for the morning transportation.  

• The parent/guardian should remember to report the child’s absence/late arrival/early dismissal to the school.

• Call NRT and inform the dispatcher; the dispatcher will then inform the driver.  The parent/guardian is welcome to call outside business hours and leave a voicemail as well.

• NRT might still arrive at the child’s home at the scheduled morning pickup time, due to a communication delay.  If so, they will depart after 3 minutes.

6. What happens if a driver has a problem in the morning or afternoon (ex. mechanical failure or weather conditions)?

• If a driver is unable to complete the pickup/drop off, the driver will contact NRT dispatch who will, in turn, contact the parent/guardian and then Tracy Cincotta.  

• NRT is still responsible for transporting the child. A parent/guardian may volunteer to provide transportation in this type of circumstance if they so choose, and should inform NRT as such.

7. What happens if a driver is running late?  Should I call someone?

• NRT has a 10 minute window for pickups, so the parent should call NRT dispatch no earlier than 10 minutes after the scheduled pickup time.

8. What happens if no one is home when the NRT driver arrives in the afternoon (ex. unexpected/emergency early release)?

• The parent/guardian must supply up to date emergency contact information to the out of district placement and North Reading School District. 

• The parent/guardian should be thoroughly familiar with the procedures of the placement  for unexpected early release (ex. weather conditions, fire, etc.). 

• The parent/guardian should have a reliable backup plan in place to make sure that someone is always available if needed (ex. work-at-home parent/guardian, neighbor, relative, hired sitter).

• If there is no one at home, the NRT driver will wait 3 minutes. The NRT driver will notify Tracy Cincotta and proceed to the school district.  The staff will consult the emergency contact information for the student in order to contact the parent/guardian.

• If the school district offices have closed for the day, the child will be brought to the police department. The police will contact the school district, who will in turn consult the emergency contact information for the student and contact the parent/guardian and/or the identified emergency contact person.

9. I have a general concern regarding the driver or vehicle, what should I do?

• If you have a general concern with a driver or vehicle, NRPS requests that parents call or email Tracy Cincotta.  Tracy will report the concern to the NRT dispatch center, and keep you informed as to the result.

10.  If you have an ongoing problem or concern (ex. my child always arrives late to the  placement) who can I talk to?  

• Start by contacting Tracy Cincotta, North Reading Public School District’s Transportation Coordinator, at (978) 360-1674 or via email at transportation@nrpsk12.org.  From there, Tracy can identify the appropriate personnel based on the concern.

• You can also request to have your child’s IEP Team convene, if there are other issues occurring on the van. Examples may include: your child is struggling with another peer on the van; struggling with maintaining a safe body; or any other issue that you feel needs to be addressed by the IEP Team.