Charter School Transportation Policy
Any school district boundary within ten (10) miles of Charter Arts’ front door obligates a sending district to transport all district students to Charter Arts. The following school districts will provide bus transportation to Charter Arts:
Allentown City SD
Bethlehem Area SD
Catasauqua Area SD
East Penn SD
Easton Area SD
Nazareth Area SD
Northampton Area SD
Palisades SD
Parkland SD
Quakertown SD
Salisbury Township SD
Saucon Valley SD
Southern Lehigh SD
Whitehall/Coplay SD
Wilson Area SD
Bus Transportation Request Forms for 2025-2026 School Year
Bus Transportation Request Forms for 2025 – 2026 School Year
- ALL students must complete an Act 372 Transportation Form.
- A new form must be completed EVERY YEAR.
- School Districts require a form even if your student is not riding the bus.
- If you do not need busing for your student, you will opt out of the transportation request on the form.
- Any form submitted after the district deadline may result in a delay of transportation.
- If a form is not completed, your student will not be assigned transportation.
- All transportation information is communicated through email. Please provide an email address that is checked daily.
Mail or email completed forms to:
- Charter Arts Transportation Office, 321 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem PA 18015
- or send a clear and legible image (scanned or photographed) to transportation@charterarts.org
District Links to Bus Transportation Request Forms (Act 372):
Palmeri Group Bus Transportation
Families who reside in the following districts are eligible for bus transportation to school through the Palmeri Group, a privately owned transportation company that provides bus transportation to many schools in and around these communities:
Bangor Area School District
East Stroudsburg Area School District
Jim Thorpe Area School District
Lehighton Area School District
North Pocono School District
Pen Argyl Area School District
Pleasant Valley School District
Pocono Mountain School District
Stroudsburg Area School District
Charter Arts executes the contract for this service wherein the parent/guardian(s) assumes financial responsibility for the term of one school year. For more information, please contact the Transportation Coordinator at transportation@charterarts.org.
Carpool
Families who reside outside any of the above districts must provide transportation to and from Charter Arts each day.
If you wish to arrange a carpool with other Charter Arts families, please contact the Transportation Coordinator at transportation@charterarts.org to gain access to a shared live carpool document. Please note, it is up to the families to make carpool arrangements. There is no obligation to be a carpool driver by joining the carpool list.
Currently and historically, we have families carpooling from the following counties:
Berks County
Bucks County
Carbon County
Lehigh County
Monroe County
Montgomery County
Northampton County
Schuylkill County
Student Drop Off and Pick Up Locations
To ensure the safety of all students and staff, we ask that all families please review and adhere to the following drop-off and pick-up procedures. These protocols are also in accordance with the City of Bethlehem’s requirements for our school.
Students can ONLY be dropped off or picked up in the parking lot across from the Steel Ice Rink, located on First Street. All student foot traffic to and from Charter Arts must adhere to crosswalks, sidewalks, and/or construction barrier pathways.
Our surrounding businesses also have private lots that are not permitted for student drop-off or pick-up. You are not authorized to drop off or pick up students in the Factory parking lot across from Charter Arts. Student drivers will continue to use the ArtsQuest lot at Second Street. Student drivers must get a parking pass from the Transportation Office.
STUDENTS MAY NOT BE DROPPED OFF OR PICKED UP ON COLUMBIA STREET UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Weather-Related School Delays/Closings
Charter Arts relies on the sending school districts within a ten-mile radius of Charter Arts for the transportation needs of many of our students. These sending districts cannot always accommodate Charter Arts’ schedule during weather-related circumstances. It is important for students who rely on busing from their home district to pay close attention to that district’s weather delay or closing. All students should check WFMZ.com for Charter Arts’ weather delay or closing. It is important to check several times as Charter Arts’ closing status can change from a two-hour delay to closed if bad weather continues.
When a home school district closes early because of weather, they will contact Charter Arts. Charter Arts will make sure students get on the bus at the appropriate time. If Charter Arts closes before a sending school district, the sending district will be contacted to pick up their students early for transportation home.
If your sending school district has a delay and Charter Arts does not:
As Charter Arts students travel into Bethlehem from a nine-county region, weather delays and school closings are not always consistent. If your school district has a delay and we do not, please follow your district’s delay.
If Charter Arts has a delay and your sending school district does not:
Below is a list of our sending school districts and their policy if they are on regular time and we have a delay.
| School | Policy |
|---|---|
| Allentown | Picks up at regular time not delayed time |
| Bethlehem | Picks up at regular time not delayed time |
| Catasauqua | Follows our delayed time |
| Easton | Picks up at regular time not delayed time |
| East Penn | Follows our delayed time |
| Nazareth | Follows our delayed time |
| Northampton | Follows our delayed time |
| Palisades | Picks up at regular time not delayed time |
| Parkland | Follows our delayed time, unless otherwise notified |
| Salisbury | Follows our delayed time, unless otherwise notified |
| Saucon Valley | Does not transport in AM, will transport in PM |
| Southern Lehigh | Picks up at regular time not delayed time |
| Whitehall | Follows our delayed time |
| Wilson | Picks up at regular time not delayed time |
Palmieri Bus out of the Pocono area will followed our delayed time, unless otherwise notified.