Jerome Joint School District No. 261

NONINSTRUCTIONAL OPERATIONS 8170P

District-Owned Vehicles

Purpose

The Board adopts this procedure to establish guidelines, obligations and expectations of employees who, within

the scope of their employment, have occasion to operate District owned vehicles and equipment, or personal

vehicles for official District purposes. Vehicles leased or rented by the district are under the same guidelines for

purposes of this policy.

District Vehicles and Equipment

Authorization for Use.

Jerome Joint School District employees shall operate District owned vehicles and equipment only when the

employee:

1. Is authorized by their position and/or supervisor, to act as the operator of a vehicle or piece of

equipment;

2. Holds a valid Idaho operators license for each class of vehicle or piece of equipment they are approved to operate. The District may verify license status by checking motor vehicle records.

3. Has demonstrated, to the supervisor's satisfaction, that they are qualified to operate the vehicle or

piece of equipment.

Responsibilities of Vehicle/Equipment Operator.

Employees operating District vehicles and equipment shall:

1. Inspect vehicles or equipment before operating to ensure the vehicle or equipment will function in a

safe manner.

2. Refrain from eating or engaging in other activities which may distract an individual from safely

operating a vehicle or piece of equipment.

3. Operate such vehicles and equipment in a safe, responsible manner, and in compliance with State laws and regulations governing vehicle use.

4. Pull off to a safe area and stop driving to use a cell phone in a vehicle.

5. Seat belts shall be worn during work time whether driving a district owned vehicle or personal vehicle.

6. Be personally responsible for traffic fines, court appearances, and other personal judgments or

penalties arising from their violation of traffic laws while operating such vehicles or equipment.

7. Refrain from operating any such vehicles or equipment when under the influence of controlled

substances, medications, or mental or physical conditions which could impair their ability to properly operate a vehicle or piece of equipment.

8. Return such vehicles and equipment daily to the District facility designated for that vehicle or piece of

equipment unless it is taken to the operator's residence as authorized under section 4 of this policy.

9. If the vehicle or piece of equipment is taken to the operator’s residence as authorized by section 4, the

operator shall ensure the vehicle or equipment is made available for routine maintenance as well as unscheduled maintenance when required.

10. Report any loss, redaction or suspension of their operator license or endorsements status to their

supervisor as soon as they are notified of the licensing status change.

11. Report all accidents immediately to the supervisor and/or to the Risk Management Specialist so that

they can be reported to the District’s insurance carrier. All CDL holders shall comply with Federal and State laws regarding the reporting of accidents, citations, or driving convictions and shall immediately report such occurrences to their supervisor.

12. Use of District fueling cards and facilities, maintenance and repair facilities, and supplies shall be

limited to bonafide District vehicle and equipment. District material and facilities shall not be used for personal benefit.

13. Not allow other persons to use their refueling card or request that others allow them to use refueling

cards which are not assigned to them.

14. Be evaluated in connection with their use of District vehicles and equipment as part of their annual

job performance review.

Prohibited Conduct of Vehicle/Equipment Operator.

Any employee involved in one or more of the following circumstances while operating District vehicles and

equipment will immediately lose their operational authorization:

1. Unlawful use, distribution, dispensing, manufacture, or possession of a controlled substance.

2. Operating any District vehicle or piece of equipment while under the influence of alcohol, any drug, or

the combined influence of alcohol and any drug.

3. Use of any District vehicle or piece of equipment for illegal or unauthorized purposes.

4. Operating a vehicle or piece of equipment in a manner which endangers the safety or life of others.

5. Clearly negligent use of District owned vehicles or piece of equipment.

Any employee convicted of any of the items listed in section 3 of this procedure, regardless of whether it occurred

while operating a District vehicle or piece of equipment, may be permanently prohibited from operating District

vehicles and equipment, and/or subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Emergency Call Out.

In specific instances, the superintendent and/or department directors may establish specific positions and/or

classes of employees who are subject to emergency callout. These employees or classes of employees may be

assigned a District vehicle to keep at their personal residence in order to more quickly respond to emergency

circumstances. Employees so designated, may be changed at any time by the superintendent and/or department

director without consultation or negotiation with the affected employee or classes of employees. When an

employee is designated to have a District vehicle at their residence for emergency callout use, the vehicle shall not

be used for personal purposes.

Disposal of Vehicles and Equipment.

All vehicles and equipment shall be disposed of only by sales events and methods which are approved by the

Board and by rules adopted by the State for disposal of surplus property. Each sales event must be approved

individually by the Board.

Accident Management Procedures.

The Jerome Joint School District establishes the following procedures and guidelines for reporting, investigating,

and documenting all accidents, collisions, and incidents involving District vehicles and equipment.

1. All accidents/collisions/vandalism (herein collectively referred to as “accidents”) involving District

vehicles, regardless of the amount of damages or personal injuries sustained, shall be reported

immediately to the driver’s supervisor and/or any other identified District personnel. Failure to

report an accident shall be cause for disciplinary action.

2. An employee involved in any accident while operating District vehicles or equipment may be required

to submit to a drug and alcohol test. Failure to submit to a drug and alcohol test; or testing positive

for drug use; or prohibited levels of alcohol as outlined in applicable law; shall be subject to

disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

3. An accident report shall be completed within 24 hours of any accident regardless of the amount of

damage sustained to any District vehicle or equipment.

4. All accidents will be investigated by a designated District Safety Coordinator or his or her designee.

5. All accidents involving any personnel injury and/or accidents for which the estimated damages

exceed one-thousand dollars ($1,000) shall be reviewed by the Safety Committee.

6. The District Office shall hold a fact-finding meeting to determine if the accident was preventable or

non-preventable.

a. The driver involved in the accident has the right to attend the fact-finding meeting to explain

the situation and answer questions of the Committee.

b. The Committee shall inform the driver of their findings in a timely manner.

c. An employee may appeal the findings and recommendations of the Committee by following

the appeals procedure outlined in the District Grievance Procedure.

7. Administrative actions shall be taken based on the findings and recommendations as follows:

a. If the accident was non-preventable, a statement to that effect shall be included in the

employee’s personnel file and no disciplinary action will be recommended.

b. If the accident was preventable, procedures of remediation and disciplinary action shall be

implemented according to the degree of culpability, severity of the accident and service

record of the employee.

8. Driver Education instructors shall not be disciplined under these driver accident guidelines for vehicle

accidents resulting from the actions of student drivers who are operating District vehicles under the

instructor’s supervision, as part of the District Driver Education course unless a valid investigation by

the District or a court of law finds the instructor was grossly negligent in their instruction or driving

supervision.

Definitions

"Equipment" for purposes of this procedure means utility vehicles, construction and lawn equipment.

"Vehicle" for purposes of this procedure means buses, vans and passenger vehicles, maintenance and delivery

trucks.

Other Reference: Standards for Idaho School Buses and Operations

Idaho Department of Education, Idaho’s School Bus Driver Training

Classroom Curriculum

Policy History:

Adopted on: 12/19/2006

Revised on: 07/23/2013

Revised on: 05/27/2014

Revised on: 02/24/2015