Procedure

Procedure 10313.1 - Volunteer Drivers

1. VOLUNTEER DRIVERS & DIRECTION OF STUDENT TRANSPORTATION

1.1.	This regulation addresses curricular and extra-curricular transportation of students where specific volunteer drivers, including staff, are organized, directed and supervised by the school district.
1.2.	School District No. 36 (Surrey) is responsible for supervision of students during instructional time and must control any related transportation.
1.3.	Outside of the scope of this regulation is: transportation to or from the student’s home, group transportation via commercial carriers and emergency medical transportation.

2. COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS

2.1.

Where student activities involve transportation by volunteer drivers, parents are to be informed and must consent to the arrangements.

2.2.

If the volunteer driver is a Novice (“N”) driver and a student, written consent for the use of the Novice (“N”) driver must be obtained from:

a)	Parents of students to be transported; and
b)	Parents of the student volunteer driver.

2.3.

If the volunteer driver is an adult Novice (“N”) driver, written consent for the use of the Novice (“N”) driver must be obtained from the parents of non- related students to be transported.

2.4.

Refer to Section 3.5 of this regulation for further information regarding the use of a Novice (“N”) driver.

3. SELECTION OF VOLUNTEER DRIVERS

3.1.

Selection of volunteer drivers should include consideration of the following criteria and may include other factors the Educator-In-Charge and principal deem appropriate.

3.2.

Driver licensing must be in British Columbia and appropriate to the licensing of the vehicle being utilized and number of persons to be transported. Most drivers have Class 5 licenses. A Class 4 driver’s license is required for student travel if the vehicle is licensed for private purposes with a seating capacity of more than ten (up to 25) including the driver.

3.3.

The driver must be competent to drive. The applicant’s driving record may be reviewed by examining a Driver’s License Abstract which may be obtained by:

a)	The driver visiting the Motor Vehicles Branch and obtaining the abstract on an over-the-counter basis at no charge; or
b)	The school applying on the appropriate form and paying the required fee to the Motor Vehicles Branch in order to receive a response in three to four weeks.

3.4.

Use of Learner (“L”) drivers as volunteer drivers is strictly prohibited.

3.5.

Use of Novice (“N”) drivers as volunteer drivers is discouraged. Novice (“N”) drivers should not normally be utilized by the school district to transport students as:

a)	There are legal restrictions on their ability to drive and transport passengers: “N” sign must be displayed at the back of the car. Zero alcohol or cannabis blood content; and Limit of one (1) passenger. * To transport additional passengers, a supervisor aged 25 or older with a valid driver’s license (class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) must accompany the driver. (Note: The restriction of one (1) passenger does not apply if the additional passengers are immediate family members of the driver.)
b)	They are less experienced drivers.
c)	District requirements for informed consent for the use of Novice (“N”) drivers, as described in 2.2 and 2.3 necessitate additional administrative burden to utilize these drivers.

3.6.

Volunteer suitability should be considered with the factors enunciated in Policy #10310 - School Volunteers and its regulation being a reference.

3.7.

Vehicle fitness is to be certified by the driver. If something indicates a vehicle may not be roadworthy, it must not be utilized.

3.8.

Vehicle licensing must be in British Columbia.

3.9.

A vehicle defined as a bus (seating capacity of more than ten) must have $10 million of liability insurance coverage and a bus permit.

4. ORIENTATION OF VOLUNTEER DRIVERS

4.1.

Instructions on the field study schedule, route, and passenger list must be clearly communicated to volunteer drivers.

4.2.

Volunteer drivers are to be oriented as to obligations and responsibilities of staff, volunteers and students including school procedures, particularly those related to safety, emergencies and the reporting of incidents (Regulation #5815.1 – Risk Management – Incident Reports and Regulation #9615.1 – Student Accident & Illness at School); confidentiality requirements; and requirements for vehicle passenger restraint systems.

5. VEHICLE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEMS

5.1.	All automobile passengers are required by the Motor Vehicle Act to wear a seatbelt.
5.2.	Where a vehicle is equipped with a front passenger air bag, vehicle manufacturers recommend that children age 12 and under should not occupy that seat.
5.3.	Booster seats are required for children over 18 kg. (40 lbs) until they are 9 years old unless they have reached the height of 145 cm (4’9”).

6. DOCUMENTATION

6.1.	A Driver Registration form is provided for schools to facilitate documentation, selection and authorization of volunteer drivers. This documentation is to be retained in the school’s file (Records Classification File #11150-20) and updated annually or when the information provided changes.
6.2.	The Staff/Volunteer Transportation Record form is designed to facilitate orderly recording of field study and extra-curricular transportation arrangements at the school. It is to be filed with the school’s file on the field study (Records Classification File #11150-20).

7. INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR VOLUNTEER DRIVERS

7.1.	Volunteer drivers occasionally inquire regarding insurance coverage. The following is intended to establish a general understanding of the matter. The precise attributes of insurance coverage are established by the legal language within the insurance policies and are interpreted by courts.
7.2.	A volunteer driver, for the purposes of this insurance discussion, is voluntarily acting on behalf of or assisting the school district while using or operating a vehicle not owned by the district.
7.3.	First, in the event of a motor vehicle accident, insurance claims are satisfied pursuant to the terms of the insurance coverage carried on the vehicle involved.
7.4.	Second, the Schools Protection Program provides substantial additional liability coverage above the vehicles’ insurances.

10. HISTORY

Revised:	2024-10-07 2023-06-29 2020-03-02 2018-06-20 2017-09-20 2008-09-22 2005-06-30 2004-06-01 2002-02-19
Approved:	2000-10-12 1998-03-26
X-Ref:	Policy #5815 Reg. #5815.1 Reg. #8901.1 Policy #9615 Reg. #9615.1 Policy #10310 Reg. #10310.1 Form #11150.9 Form #11150.70 Form #11150.80