20-10-111. Duties of board of public education. (1) The board of public education, with the advice of the Montana department of justice and the superintendent of public instruction, shall adopt and enforce policies, not inconsistent with the motor vehicle laws, to provide uniform standards and regulations for the design, construction, and operation of school buses in the state of Montana. The policies must:

(a) prescribe minimum standards for the design, construction, and operation of school buses consistent with:

(i) the recommendations adopted by the national conference on school transportation; and

(ii) the federal motor vehicle safety standards;

(b) prescribe standards and specifications for the lighting equipment and special warning devices to be carried by school buses in conformity with:

(i) current specifications approved by the society of automobile engineers;

(ii) motor vehicle laws; and

(iii) the requirement that all school buses have an alternately flashing prewarning lighting system of four amber signal lamps to be used while preparing to stop and an alternately flashing warning lighting system of four red signal lamps to be used while stopped in accordance with 61-9-402;

(c) establish other driver qualifications considered necessary in addition to the qualifications required in 20-10-103;

(d) prescribe criteria for the establishment of transportation service areas for school bus purposes by the county transportation committee that shall allow for the establishment of service areas without regard to the district boundary lines within the county;

(e) prescribe other criteria for the determination of the residence of a pupil that may be considered necessary in addition to the criteria established in 20-10-105; and

(f) prescribe standards for the measurement of the child seating capacity of school buses, to be known as the rated capacity.

(2) The board of public education shall prescribe other policies necessary for the proper administration and operation of individual transportation programs that are consistent with the transportation provisions of this title.