At its Jan. 27, 2025 meeting, the school board adopted revisions to Policy 6600 Student Transportation. A specific update included in the revision reflects changes RCW 9A.52.092 School Bus Trespass.

Following a fatal assault on a bus driver in Pasco, WA in 2021, the state legislature made school bus trespass a gross misdemeanor. School bus trespass is when:

• individuals enter or remain unlawfully on a school bus;
• do any act that creates a substantial risk of harm to passengers or the driver; and
• cause a substantial interruption or impairment of services rendered by the bus.

School bus trespass doesn't apply to enrolled students, law enforcement officers or other authorized personnel engaged in the performance of their official duties, individuals with written consent from the District allowing them to enter or remain on the school bus, and emergency situations where entering the bus is necessary to protect the safety or wellbeing of students or others.

We appreciate the state legislature recognizing the threat to rider and staff safety that school bus trespass represents, and the provision of legal tools to deter school bus trespass the legislature provided. We all have an interest in safe rides to school and home for our community's students.