Offering a School Carpool? Consider These Tips.

Transporting children to and from your school can present a host of logistical challenges. You might consider a variety of options—your city's mass transit system, public school buses, school-owned vehicles, transportation vendors, parents, and ride-shares. Many schools also consider organizing carpools among interested families.

There seem to be four schools of thought when it comes to carpooling:

• “We don’t want to go there.”
• “If the parents want to set up something informal, that’s fine, but we’re not getting involved.”
• “We’ll facilitate developing a list of parents willing to drive, put those folks in touch with each other, but let them take the process from there.”
• “We want the school to own the process.”

As you move through this continuum, your school’s liability increases. Positions one and two present the least risk, the third a bit more, and the fourth—where the school organizes and runs the carpool—the greatest risk. If you are considering formally organizing and running a carpool service for interested families, there are a few areas where you must focus your attention.

• Safety
  • Conduct background checks on every driver.
  • Drivers must provide the following:
    • Proof of mandated state inspection for the vehicle.
    • A copy of his or her current drivers license.
    • A successful Motor Vehicle Record check.
    • Proof of comprehensive auto insurance.
  • Verify a vehicle safety test, such as ensuring there are working seat belts, booster seats if necessary, etc.
  • Work with your insurance broker to determine if your insurance covers any aspect of this process.
  • Establish a code of conduct that all included families must sign. It may have more items than these, but include:
    • There can be no substitute drivers—only those who have been vetted by the school can drive.
    • The vehicle must pass a standard cleanliness and safety test.
    • There can be no deviations from the approved route (for example, no detours for snacks, errands, etc.)
    • The parent driver must stay with the vehicle at all times.
    • There will be absolutely no cell phone use while driving.
    • All federal and state laws regarding height and weight must be followed when it comes to who can ride in the front passenger seat.
• Education
  • Parents
    • Provide accident protocol training, including how to react, who must be contacted, and what steps should be taken after an accident occurs.
    • In addition to accident training, parents should also receive behavioral training, such as whether they can give advice to or reprimand other parents’ children, what to do if they hear something that concerns them about a student’s or other student’s safety, and maintaining confidentiality.
  • Children
    • Children should also be given the tools to know what to do and who to tell if they have a concern about any aspect of the ride.
• Logistics
  • Define the rotation of drivers with the full schedule and backups in case of sickness or mishaps.
  • Provide a communication plan for last-minute changes in the schedule.
  • Coordinate appropriate plans for pick-up and drop-off, including when and where they should take place on school grounds.

As with most elements of school governance, there are pros and cons for managing your school’s carpool. If you choose to offer this service, you provide a valuable benefit to your families by coordinating the process, establishing administrative guidelines, and procuring and vetting volunteer divers.

However, you also open your school up to risk. The more you control the process, the more responsibility you have and thus, the more potential liability.

If your school currently has a formal carpool service, or if you are considering taking on the responsibility for this activity, ensure all possible safety and administrative measures are in place. Discuss this with your attorney and broker to be certain your students, parents, and school are protected.

Additional ISM Resources:
The Source for Business and Operations Vol. 16 No. 9 A Risk Assessment Self-Exam
The Source for Business and Operations Vol. 16 No. 6 Four Common Risks All Schools Should Avoid

Additional ISM resources for members:
I&P Vol. 41 No. 5 The Risk Management Assessment Process