Director: Theresa Kirklin
1001 East 21st Street 
Little Rock, AR 72206

Telephone: 501-447-7550
Fax: 501-447-7563

For all Special Needs bus inquiries call:
(501) 447-7550 main number
(501)447-7553 dispatch number

For all First Student (non-special needs) bus inquiries call:
(501) 447-4130 main number (501) 447-4131 fax number

LRSD (Little Rock School District) Liaison-Kenneth Hobbs: 
(501) 447-4142 Liaison number

The Little Rock School District (LRSD) Transportation Department involves the movement of students well over 728 square miles (about twice the area of Austin, Texas). This movement allows students an opportunity to participate in a variety of programs that are an integral part of the Little Rock School District.

Transporting students to and from school safely is the LRSD number ONE priority. The Little Rock School District Special Needs Transportation Department is responsible for transporting students with an array of needs:  Deaf & Blind, displaced students, disabled students, alternative students, day treatment students and others.

TRANSPORTATION POLICY

Little Rock School District and First Student are separate entities: First Student is the contracted provider for the Little Rock School District.  Little Rock School District provide services for the eligible special needs communities and First Student provides services for eligible non-special needs communities.   

First Student is responsible for providing bus stops according to the Little Rock School District guidelines.  One of the guidelines include First Student transporting all eligible non-special needs students to and from school safely. 

Bus stops are determined by the Transportation Department and assigned based on the proximity from a student residential address. Eligible students include those living within the school attendance zone but outside the walk zone:

Attendance School Zone

Regular elementary students & K-8 students: one mile walk zone

Secondary and regular Middle Schools (6-12 graders): two mile walk zone

ROUTING ISSUES

LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT – (501) 447-7550

SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMMODATION (ONLY)

Special Needs students must be approved to ride a special needs bus by the Special Programs Department and must have an (IEP) Individualized Education Plan for specialized transportation.   Special Needs students are transported to and from school usually from their home addresses; in some instances, when we can’t safely get to the students’ home students must come to a corner stop.  All students are asked to be at their stop location (not inside the home) 10 minutes prior to the scheduled pickup time and wait 10 minutes afterwards before returning to your home to contact transportation at the above number.

When you move from one location to the other you must process a change of address form through the Little Rock Student Registration Office (SRO) located at 501 Sherman Street (501) 447-2950 or at your child assigned school. Once this process is complete and your form has been processed contact Special Programs (501) 447-1033 so that the information can be sent to transportation.  The turnaround time for a stop for Special Needs Transportation will be 3 to 5 business days; it is your responsibility to contact transportation (501) 447-7550 for your child’s stop information.  For students attending middle and high alternative schools that are requiring a stop the time frame will be 5 to 7 business days.

STUDENT SUPERVISION

Most elementary schools dismiss between 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. and high school dismiss at 4:00 p.m., some schools dismiss special needs students 10 to 15 minutes prior to the dismissal times giving these students a head start on the non-special needs students to get to their buses.

Special Needs students’ parent or legal guardian is required to complete a release waiver form indicating if a child may be left without supervision when being dropped off from school. If the child cannot be released without supervision, someone 18 years or older should be at home waiting on the student from the time school is dismissed until the bus arrives.

We have experienced numerous problems when taking students home that can’t be left alone because of his/her disability.  The drivers are delayed from dropping other students off because no one is home to accept the student; they are having to get authorization to transport student to a different drop off location and they are delayed in picking up the second tier at their assigned school.

LOST OR MISSING STUDENTS

If your child is lost or not at home please thoroughly check your home most students are found in the home or in the neighborhood. If you still cannot locate your child, please do the following:

• Contact the school of attendance

• If your child rides a First Student bus call:       501-447-4130

• If your child rides a Special Needs bus call:      501-447-7550

• Contact Little Rock School District Security:    501-447-2075

• Contact Little Rock Police Department:             only if the above fails:   # 911

Someone should remain at the resident in case the student returns home.