Student Transportation
School Bus Driver Certification Classes* and Transportation Forms for Schools
Prior to enrolling in any of the classes, a new or current school bus driver should be hired by an Oklahoma school. Normally, the employing district's transportation director or superintendent will make arrangements for their school bus drivers to enroll in the appropriate certification class. The State Department of Public Safety requires school bus drivers to have a commercial driver license (CDL) with a passenger endorsement. Some of the classes will also be able to assist to in obtaining a CDL. If you need additional school bus driver qualification information, or how to contact a state certified instructor for school bus driver classes, you may call the Student Transportation Section of the State Department of Education at (405) 521-3472.
- Additional Commerical Driver License (CDL) Endorsement
- Commerical Driver License (CDL) Class
- Online School Bus Driver Classes - Ongoing As Needed, Call to Schedule Online Course, 19 Hours Plus 5 Hours On-the-Road Training
- Kiamichi Technology Center, Talihina Campus - (888) 567-6643 or (918) 567-2264 Instructor: Chris Stone
- Oklahoma Association for Pupil Transportation, Flexible - Kim Hamilton (405) 514-4606
- Wes Watkins Technology Center, Wetumka - (405) 452-5500 Instructor: Kevin Winn
- Professional Development Inservice Four (4) Hour Classes for School Bus Drivers
As of July 1, 2007, the State Department of Education regulations require Oklahoma certified school bus drivers to attend a minimum of four (4) hours of professional development inservice each year. Local districts, Career Techs, state agencies and professional associations may present classes from the SDE approved list of topics. A class may be presented for 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, as desired. Attendance records must be kept by the employing school district. - Standard School Bus Driver Certificate Course
Click Here for a List of School Bus Driver Certification Classes
* FOR POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL CLASSES: Call the nearest Career and Technology Center (Tech) or larger Public School (P.S.) Districts close to your area.
Forms & Documents
National Stop Arm Survey 2013
While school buses remain incredibly safe, we all know that students who ride buses are most vulnerable when they are outside the bus in the “danger zone.” Oklahoma is assisting the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) in coordinating a national survey to determine the prevalence of illegal passing of school buses. That data will help improve safety countermeasures at the state or national level.
We are enlisting your assistance in this important project. On April 24, 2013, please have your district’s school bus operators observe and report any instances of motorists illegally passing their school buses, using the Stop Arm Survey Form.
Please instruct them to pay particular attention to the instructions and safety precautions. As always, their primary duty is to the safety of their students. Please have your drivers note the criteria at the bottom of the form to ensure they report only illegal passes that occur while the bus driver is stopped with red warning lights flashing and stop arm(s) deployed in full compliance with Oklahoma's training and procedures for school bus drivers. Different from previous years, this year’s count focuses exclusively on individual vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses, regardless of whether multiple vehicles pass at the same stop.
Please collect your district’s results (including all forms from participating drivers who did not have any stop arm violations to report on this day) and report them no later than May 8, 2013 as follows:
Please place all Illegal Passing Driver Reporting Forms in an envelope and send them to
State Department of Education
Student Transportation Division
2500 N. Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105-4599
Thank you for your help with this important initiative
Oklahoma School Bus Drivers
Forms and Documents
- 49 CFR Part 40.25: Request for Information from Former Employer (pdf)
- Annual Health Certificate/Physical Form (pdf)
- Annual Inservice Verification Form and SDE Approved Subjects (pdf)
- Annual Inservice Verification Form and SDE Approved Subjects 2013 (pdf)
- Application for School Bus Driver Certificate (pdf)
- Driving Record Requests (pdf) - From the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- How to Become a School Bus Driver Brochure (pdf)
- Request for In-Service Documentation (pdf)
- Self-Certification Affidavit (pdf)
Training Manuals
- Commercial Driver License Manual - From the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Training Manual for Oklahoma School Bus Driver Certification (pdf)
- National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures (pdf)
Oklahoma School Bus Drivers Training Videos
- Bus Accident Avoidance (mp4)
- Bus Driver Flood Safety | mov | mp4 | wmv |
- West Virginia Near Hit Video
Oklahoma School Buses
- Emergency Evacuation of Bus Passengers (pdf)
- Oklahoma School Bus Inspection Guide (pdf)
- Evaluations of Bus Routes (pdf)
- Minimum School Bus Specifications (pdf)
- Pre-Trip/Post-Trip Bus Inspection (pdf)
- Oklahoma SDE Approved School Bus Dealers (pdf)
- Qstraint maintenance and inspection information
Recalls
School Transportation Documents and Information
- Guidelines for Transporting Students with Special Needs (pdf)
- School Bus Idling Reduction: Project Report & Implementation Guide for Oklahoma School Districts (pdf)
- Severe Weather Procedures
- State Board of Education Rules, OAC 210: 30-5-1 (pdf)
Links Outside the SDE
If you would like to subscribe to email updates regarding transportation please email the director your name, email address, and school.
For more information, contact Trent Gibson, Director of Student Transportation, SDE, (405) 521-3472.
For Capital Improvement-Annexations/Consolidations and School District Boundary Maps, please contact Vivian Baber at (405) 522-2232 or visit the Capital Improvement page for more information.
