Safer Rides, Simpler Rules
Weston's New Afternoon Alternate Bus Plan for the 2025-26 School Year
For all students, Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Why the Change? Ensuring Every Student's Safety.
To provide accurate rider lists, prevent overcrowding, and enhance safety, we're moving from a manual system to a streamlined, digital process.
The Old Way
Phone calls, emails, and paper notes could lead to **delays in accurate daily ridership lists and overcrowding.**
The New Way
A single, reliable, digital system through the PowerSchool Parent Portal ensures accuracy and efficiency.
The New Way Forward:
PowerSchool Portal for All K-12 Students
The **PowerSchool Parent Portal** is now the **only** way to request alternate afternoon transportation for **all students from Kindergarten through Grade 12**. This ensures our main office, administration, and transportation coordinators have precise, real-time rider lists, critical for the safety and efficiency of our bus system.
Phone calls, e-mails, and paper notes will no longer be accepted for these requests.
Your 3-Step Guide to Alternate Bus Rides
Sign the Annual Release
Complete the "2025-26 After-School Alternate Transportation Permission and Release Form" once per year in PowerSchool.
Submit Request Form
Use the appropriate form in PowerSchool for full-day or half-day schedule changes, observing the deadlines.
Receive Confirmation
PowerSchool will provide a timestamp and send an email acknowledgment once your request is submitted.
Know the Deadlines
Advance notice is crucial for planning safe and efficient routes. Please submit your requests within the required timeframes.
- Full School Day: Request must be received by 3:00 PM the day before (24-hour notice).
- Half Day / Early Release: Request must be received by 11:30 AM three days prior (72-hour notice).
Requests submitted outside these parameters will not be honored.
Required Notice Period
Full Day Request
Hours Notice
Half Day Request
Hours Notice
Guest Rider Limit
To prevent overcrowding, a student may bring friends home on an alternate bus, but there is a limit.
Maximum additional students allowed to ride to a single address.
Important Reminders
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If plans change, students can always ride their assigned bus home without any notice.
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If a student boards a bus without an approved request, a call will be made to parents/guardians, who may need to pick the student up from school.
The Transportation Department provides transportation services to all students in grades K-12. The Transportation Department also provides transportation to our Metco students. Weston Public Schools owns and operates its own fleet of 30 school buses to serve in-town, Metco, athletic and field trips. The district operates 16 diesel buses and 14 gasoline buses.
The district has developed a Transportation Handbook. The purpose of the handbook is to provide information about our school bus transportation system and to clarify expectations of employees and riders.
We are pleased to announce the launch of Stopfinder, a new app designed to help you track your child’s school bus in real-time. This free and secure app will provide you with peace of mind by showing you the precise location of your child’s bus on a map.
Stopfinder, created by our routing software company Transfinder, allows you to set up customized GeoAlerts. These alerts will notify you when the bus is approaching your child’s bus stop or the school, so you’ll know exactly when to expect it.
This app will also allow the transportation team to send instant, targeted messages to parents and guardians. For example, if a bus is delayed due to a road closure, only the families on that specific route will receive a notification. This ensures you receive timely and relevant information without being overwhelmed by messages that don’t apply to you.
We understand how important it is for you to know your child is safe and on time. We believe Stopfinder will be a valuable tool in helping to make your daily routine a little easier.
In addition to real-time tracking and alerts, the app will also provide you with access to your child’s specific bus stop and schedule information.
The email address that is currently on file with the district will be used for Stopfinder setup. Parents/guardians can update their email address through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Stopfinder can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play. Stopfinder will require an invite and registration from the district before accessing your student’s transportation schedule. Please contact the District’s transportation department at transportation@weston.org with any questions
Open communication is critical to ensuring all standards are met. The Bus Concern Form is intended to facilitate the communication of transportation related concerns to school officials. Reports submitted here will be forwarded electronically to a predetermined list of school officials.
Darlene Frappier
Transportation Coordinator
456 Wellesley Street
Weston, MA, 02493
781-786-5285
click here to contact Darlene Frappier
David Cordoba
Assistant Transportation Coordinator
456 Wellesley St.
Weston, MA 02493
click here to contact David Cordoba
Transportation Expectations
Appropriate student and staff behavior on school buses is especially important to ensure the safety of passengers, drivers, and other drivers. Behavior that jeopardizes safety will not be tolerated. Conduct that is not acceptable in school is not acceptable on busses.
Bus Driver/Bus Monitor Expectations:
- Be courteous;
- Set clear student behavior expectations for the bus;
- Notify Principals of any behavioral issues that arise;
- Maintain a safe driving record, current license, and all required training;
- Abide by the laws of the road, including wearing seatbelts at all times;
- Know the students on the bus by name;
- Introduce yourself to the families of the students;
- Pull off the road and/or stop to answer or use the bus hands-free phone;
- Leave all personal electronic devices at the bus office;
- Follow the assigned bus route unless a modification is approved by the Transportation Coordinator;
- Maintain appropriate demeanor at all times, including appropriate language;
- If a confrontation occurs, request the student/parent contact the Transportation Office for further discussion. Do not engage the individual;
- Contact police in the event of an accident; and
- In the case of an emergency, ensure all protocols are followed and student safety is prioritized.
Parent Expectations:
- Have students at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to expected bus arrival time;
- Remind students to stay at assigned bus stop until the bus has come to a complete stop, the door has been opened, and the driver motions to the student to board;
- Introduce yourself to your bus driver;
- If appropriate and comfortable, discuss any medical issues regarding your child (i.e. EpiPen use, etc.) with the driver;
- Discuss appropriate bus behavior with your child;
- Never ‘chase’ the bus either on foot or by car;
- Yield to a school bus;
- Never pass a bus when the red stop sign is visible and/or the yellow flashing lights are on;
- Abide by the Do Not Enter and / or Bus Only signs at the schools;
- Contact the Transportation Coordinator or complete the on-line Bus Complaint Form to communicate concerns to the Transportation Office;
- Do not confront the driver or distract driver from the completion of their route;
- Do not board the bus for any reason;
- Avoid gift giving to the drivers/monitors; and
- Browse lost and found at the Transportation Office if missing items.
