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The mission of the DoDEA Student Transportation Program is to provide safe, reliable and efficient transportation for students to and from school and school related activities, and to support instructional programs by delivering students safely, on time, and with a mind set for learning.
School bus transportation is an important facet of the educational experience. The school bus is the first and last thing many of our students experience and it shapes how their day begins and ends. The following information will help your student get the most of out of their school bus experience.
Our agency is dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of all students attending DoDEA Schools. The school districts are committed in providing their community schools with safe and efficient transportation for students to and from school and school related activities. Assistance will be given in the areas of driver training, funding, equipment specifications and purchases, interpretation of laws and regulations, and routing.
We are committed to provide professional services to ensure the quality of service expected by the military services. Every effort will be made to keep our services in the forefront of the quality, safety and efficiency expected.
The Okinawa Student Transportation Office is proud to announce implementation of the Student Transportation Automated Registration System (STARS), Okinawa!
Please see SY 2024-25 Student Transportation for guidance on school bus registration for the coming school year. If you have any questions about the new process, please contact us at okin-bus@dodea.edu or DSN 645-7820. Respectfully, The Okinawa Student Transportation Office
The walking distance for grades 6 and below will not normally exceed 1 mile from their primary residence to the school or designated bus stop. Students in grades 7-12 may walk up to 1.5 miles from their primary residence to the school or designated bus stop. These distances may be slightly expanded or contracted to conform to natural boundaries such as housing areas or neighborhoods. In locations, such as Okinawa, having middle schools, which include grade 6 (i.e., grades 6-8), the walking distance criteria shall be the same as the criteria for grades 7-12.
This is defined as the transportation of students from their assigned bus stop to school at the beginning of their school day, mid-day, and the return to their assigned bus stop at the end of the normal scheduled school day. Maps illustrating bus stops and commuting zones are available at the base housing office and the STO office.
Only one trip to and from school per day is authorized for each student.
Transportation is not authorized to take students to their homes or to eating facilities for their mid-day meal.
Only students attending DoDEA schools, bus drivers, dispatchers, STO personnel, assigned safety/security attendants, community bus monitors, and security personnel assigned by the installation commander are authorized to ride daily commuting services. Additional authorized passengers are U.S. Military Police and host nation police while in the performance of their official duties, and persons authorized in writing by the DoDEA Principal or his or her designee, the contracting officer, or the STO.
Daily round trip transportation may be provided to students residing outside the commuting area but are transported at their own expense to an existing school bus stop within the commuting area.
Non-federally connected, space-available, tuition-paying students may be permitted to utilize school bus commuting services on a space-available basis. Even though space-available service may be initially provided, it may be withdrawn at any time.
Transportation is available for many off base housing areas around installations with schools; however, before signing a lease for an off base house please check with the STO to ensure transportation is available in that area for the school you plan your child to attend.
A map and/or narrative description is used to identify the commuting area for each school is available at each STO.
The DoDEA Pacific South STO has the following procedures in place for handling, storing, and discarding items that are lost and found on the school bus:
Everyday items: The STO stores everyday items such as clothing, backpacks, books, and water bottles at its office throughout the week. Everyday items left on the school bus are returned to the school and placed in Lost and Found on a weekly basis.
High-value items: The STO stores high-value items, such as phones and cameras, in a locked and secured area at its office. After 1 week, unclaimed high-value items are turned over to Military Police.
Items Containing PII: Items containing Personally Identifiable Information, such as ID cards, will be stored in a secure location at the STO. STO employees will make three attempts to contact the owner’s parent/sponsor to return the item. If the item is not retrieved after 1 week, it is turned over to Military Police.
The STO does not directly discard items found on the bus; however, items schools often donate unclaimed items in the Lost and Found a period of time.
