Section 575IAC1-5.5-11. Special requirements

   (a) Any passenger seat that has a child safety seat or restraint system attached to it must:

(1) have a reinforced frame; and

(2) meet the requirements of FMVSS 208, 209, and 210.

  (b) The seat behind a seat that has a child restraint system that is secured using a portable seat mount (for example, cam wrap belt used for a safety vest, Star seat, ProTech seat) must be kept empty or occupied by a child who is also in a child safety restraint system.

  (c) All child safety seats or restraint systems used in a school bus must be secured to a bus seat in a manner prescribed and approved by the manufacturer and must meet safety specifications as follows:

(1) A child below the grade of kindergarten must be transported in a child safety restraint system that meets all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards beginning January 1, 2018.

(2) For any child below the grade of kindergarten, the use of a lap belt alone is not appropriate.

  (d) Lap boards attached to wheelchairs or to adaptive equipment shall be removed and secured separately during transport.

  (e) All respiratory related equipment, such as oxygen, aspirators, and ventilators, must be securely mounted or fastened to a wheelchair, bus seat, bus floor, or to the bus wall below the window line during transit.

  (f) Tanks of compressed oxygen transported in a school bus may be no larger than twenty-two (22) cubic feet.

  (g) Any liquid oxygen container transported in a school bus may be no larger than thirty-eight (38) cubic feet.

  (h) Oxygen tanks must have valves and regulators that are protected against breakage. Tanks must be secured to avoid exposure to intense heat, flames, sparks, or friction.

  (i) A bus transporting any oxygen container must display a warning statement formatted in block-style letters not less than two (2) inches and not more than four (4) inches in height and in a color that contrasts with the color of its background that reads "OXYGEN IN USE". The statement may be formatted in decal, paint, or magnetic material and be located:

(1) in the service door entrance on the face of the riser;

(2) on the underneath side of a wheelchair platform; and

(3) on the ceiling above the window section of a passenger's seating position.

(State School Bus Committee; 575 IAC 1-5.5-11; filed May 24, 1990, 4:20 p.m.: 13 IR 1859; filed May 21, 1992, 5:00 p.m.: 15 IR 2222; readopted filed Oct 10, 2001, 3:37 p.m.: 25 IR 938; readopted filed Jun 19, 2007, 10:10 a.m.: 20070704-IR-575070225RFA; errata filed Jul 6, 2007, 10:04 a.m.: 20070725-IR-575070225ACA; readopted filed Nov 12, 2013, 11:21 a.m.: 20131211-IR-575130420RFA; filed Aug 15, 2014, 10:20 a.m.: 20140910-IR-575130244FRA; errata filed Sep 18, 2014, 10:40 a.m.: 20141015-IR-575140377ACA)