Category: School Leadership

ADMINISTRATIVE MEMORANDUM

To:                        Principals, School Administrators, Teachers, and Transportation
From:                 Ken Martinez, Transportation Director, Isaac Astill, Executive Director, Auxiliary Service

Date:                  August 13, 2026
Subject:          Standard Operating Procedures for Zūm Pass Usage, Student Boarding, and   Space-Available (Transportation)

Purpose

The Salt Lake City School District is implementing consistent procedures for Zūm pass usage, student boarding, transportation eligibility, and space-available transportation requests for the 2026–27 school year.

The purpose of these procedures is to strengthen student safety, improve communication with families, provide accurate ridership information, and support effective transportation planning. At the same time, our primary responsibility is to ensure that students are transported safely to and from school.

The 2026–27 school year will begin with a soft implementation of Zūm pass usage. Students are expected and strongly encouraged to use their Zūm passes; however, students will not be denied transportation or left at a bus stop solely because they do not have, cannot locate, or are unable to use their Zūm pass.

These procedures apply to District-operated transportation routes and are intended to provide a clear and consistent approach for school administrators, staff, drivers, students, and families.

I. Zūm Pass Usage and Student Boarding

A. Encouraging Zūm Pass Use

Students who have been issued a Zūm pass should be encouraged to tap their pass when boarding and exiting the bus on every trip.

Consistent pass usage provides valuable information that supports:

• Parent and guardian notifications;
• Accurate student ridership information;
• Transportation route planning;
• Capacity planning; and
• Accurate transportation records.

Schools should reinforce the importance of Zūm pass usage with students and families while emphasizing that the pass is intended to support transportation operations and student safety—not to create a barrier to transportation.

B. Students Without a Pass or With a Nonfunctioning Pass

If a student does not have a Zūm pass or is unable to use the pass:

1. The driver should politely remind the student to bring and use the pass on future trips.
2. The student should be allowed to board.
3. The driver should not delay the route or create a confrontation regarding a missing, lost, or nonfunctioning pass.
4. Repeated concerns should be reported to the Transportation supervisor.

Lost, damaged, or nonfunctioning passes should be addressed through the established replacement process. Students should continue to receive transportation while a replacement is being obtained.

II. Unknown or Potentially Ineligible Riders

There may be circumstances in which a student does not appear on the driver's current rider list, a Zūm pass does not register, or there is a question about whether the student qualifies for transportation.

In these circumstances:

• The student should be allowed to board for that trip.
• Drivers should not attempt to resolve transportation eligibility questions with students at the bus stop.
• When necessary, the driver should record sufficient information to identify the student, including the student's name, school, route, and boarding location.
• Eligibility concerns or repeated occurrences should be reported to the Transportation supervisor.

Transportation administration will review the student's eligibility and determine whether additional follow-up is necessary.

If a student appears to be repeatedly using transportation services for which they are not eligible, Transportation will work with school administration so that the concern can be addressed with the student and parent/guardian outside of the bus environment.

III. No Turn-Away Expectations

Drivers should make every reasonable effort to ensure that students are safely transported to and from school.

A student should not be denied boarding solely because:

• The student forgot or lost their Zūm pass;
• The student's pass does not scan;
• The student does not currently appear on the driver's rider list; or
• There is an unresolved question regarding transportation eligibility.

Eligibility questions, repeated misuse, and pass-compliance concerns should be addressed through the Transportation administrative process rather than by the driver at the bus stop.

If there is a safety concern or circumstance that prevents the bus from being operated safely, the driver should immediately communicate with Dispatch or a Transportation supervisor.

IV. Communication with Students and Families

Interactions with students should remain calm, respectful, and focused on safety.

Drivers and school staff should communicate that consistent Zūm pass use:

• Provides important information and notifications to parents and guardians;
• Helps the District understand actual ridership;
• Assists Transportation with route planning and determining available capacity; and
• Improves the accuracy of student transportation information.

The goal is to remove barriers to transportation while encouraging compliance.

School administrators should reinforce this message with students, families, and staff.

V. Transportation Eligibility and Space-Available Requests

The District recognizes that some students may request transportation even though they do not otherwise qualify under applicable transportation eligibility or distance requirements.

The District's space-available process is intended to provide a consistent method for considering these requests while ensuring that qualified students remain the priority and that actual route capacity is understood before space-available transportation is approved.

A. Qualified and Nonqualified Students

Qualified students are students who meet applicable state and District transportation eligibility requirements, including applicable distance requirements or District-approved safety-related exceptions.

Nonqualified students are students who do not meet the normal eligibility requirements but may request transportation when space is available on an existing route.

Qualified students will always receive priority when determining route assignments and available capacity.

VI. Beginning-of-Year Ridership Evaluation Period

For approximately the first four weeks of the 2026–27 school year, Transportation will evaluate actual student ridership on each route.

During this evaluation period:

• Students will be strongly encouraged to consistently use their Zūm passes.
• Transportation will use available ridership information, driver observations, and route data to establish actual route utilization.
• Space-available and exception requests will generally not be approved until the evaluation period is completed.
• Transportation will use this information to determine which routes have available capacity after qualified students have been accommodated.

This approximately four-week evaluation period replaces the previous practice of making determinations after approximately 15 school days.

VII. Students Riding During the Interim Period

During the beginning-of-year evaluation period, drivers should not independently remove, deny, or refuse transportation to a student because there is a question regarding eligibility.

If a potentially nonqualified student is already using a route:

1. The driver should continue transporting the student unless directed otherwise by Transportation administration.
2. Repeated or questionable use should be reported to the driver's supervisor.
3. Transportation will review the circumstances and coordinate with school administration when follow-up with the student or parent/guardian is necessary.

The intent is to resolve eligibility concerns administratively rather than leaving a student at a bus stop.

VIII. Space-Available Request Process

Following the approximately four-week ridership evaluation period, a parent or guardian may submit a Transportation Exception or Space-Available Request to the Transportation Department.

Transportation will consider:

• Actual ridership on the requested route;
• Bus seating and safe operating capacity;
• Qualified students assigned to the route;
• Historical and current ridership trends;
• Route and stop locations;
• Operational feasibility; and
• Whether accommodation would require an additional route, vehicle, stop, or significant cost.

Space-available transportation may be approved when sufficient capacity exists after qualified riders have been accommodated.

IX. Approval and Denial of Space-Available Transportation

A. Approval

Space-available transportation may be approved when sufficient capacity exists and the request can be accommodated without negatively affecting qualified students or District operations.

Families should understand that:

• Approval is based on available capacity.
• Approval does not establish permanent transportation eligibility.  It will be considered  on a yearly basis.
• The accommodation may be modified or discontinued if qualified ridership increases or operational needs change.

B. Denial

A request may be denied when:

• Available capacity is insufficient;
• The accommodation would negatively affect qualified riders;
• An additional route, vehicle, stop, or significant operational expense would be required; or
• Other operational or safety considerations prevent the accommodation.

Parents and guardians will be informed of the determination.

X. Ongoing Ridership and Eligibility Concerns

When Transportation identifies a student who appears to be repeatedly using services for which they are not authorized, the following process should be followed:

1. Driver: Report the concern to the Transportation supervisor.
2. Transportation: Verify the student's eligibility and circumstances.
3. Transportation: When appropriate, contact school administration.
4. School administration: Work with the student and parent/guardian to resolve the concern outside of the bus environment.

Drivers should not be placed in the position of confronting students about ongoing eligibility or removing students from transportation services without administrative direction.

XI. School Administrator Responsibilities

Principals and school administrators are asked to support consistent implementation by:

• Communicating the expectations for Zūm pass usage to students and families;
• Reinforcing that students should not be stranded because of a missing, lost, or nonfunctioning pass;
• Directing transportation eligibility questions to Transportation rather than attempting to resolve them at the bus stop;
• Supporting Transportation when repeated eligibility or ridership concerns require school-based follow-up;
• Communicating with families in a calm, respectful, and solution-oriented manner; and
• Helping students understand that Zūm pass usage supports safe and effective transportation planning.

School administrators should work collaboratively with Transportation when concerns arise and avoid placing drivers in the position of making eligibility determinations.

XII. Records and Communication

Transportation will maintain appropriate records related to:

• Exception and space-available requests;
• Approvals and denials;
• Route capacity considerations; and
• Significant or repeated eligibility concerns.

Schools and drivers will receive updated information as necessary when ridership assignments or transportation circumstances change.

XIII. Key Operating Principles

The following principles should guide implementation throughout the school year:

1. Student safety comes first.
2. Students should not be stranded while an eligibility question is being resolved.
3. Zūm pass usage should be strongly encouraged.
4. Qualified students receive priority for transportation.
5. Actual ridership should be established before space-available requests are approved.
6. Space-available transportation is not automatic and should be reviewed each school year.
7. Route capacity may change throughout the school year.
8. Drivers should transport, encourage, report, and communicate—not resolve eligibility disputes at the bus stop.

Closing

Thank you to our principals, school staff, Transportation team, and bus drivers for your partnership in implementing these procedures. A consistent, respectful, and student-centered approach will help us improve transportation operations while maintaining our shared commitment to student safety.

When questions arise, please remember the basic expectation:

Transport. Encourage. Report. Communicate.

Transportation and school administration will work together to address eligibility, repeated misuse, and other concerns through the appropriate administrative process.

Questions or concerns should be directed to Dispatch or the appropriate Transportation supervisor.