Transportation and Leaving Campus

During the school day, any student may ask permission from the Deans’ Office to leave campus before 3:20 p.m. (or 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday). The office staff assesses the reason for the request and the permissions parents have provided, and, if the reason seems valid, the staff will usually allow them to go. Boarding students may sign out during the academic day through the Deans’ Office in accordance with their “blue card” permissions. Weekend and overnight signouts must be done with house staff.

Milton Academy employees, using their discretion, always have the right to withhold permission for off-campus travel and overnight stays. Provided all their required commitments for the day are met, students may ask to leave for home any time after 1:15 p.m. and must sign out in the Deans’ Office.

Day Student Residence

We expect that day students are living at home with parent(s) or legal guardian(s). The school cannot accept students living on their own or with persons who are not parents or legal guardians.

Bus Transportation (day students)

The bus routes include Chestnut Hill-Brookline, Newton-Wellesley, Needham-Dover-Dedham-South Natick, and Boston-Cambridge. Routes are routinely examined to determine if the stops should be altered, based on the day student population. Validated bus identification tags are required for students who ride the bus. Students who lose their bus identification tags should contact the Campus Services and Events office at 617-898-2211. A $15 fee will be charged to the student’s IA to replace lost bus identification tags. One-way, one-ride passes can be requested by contacting the Campus Services and Events office at campus_services@milton.edu 24 hours in advance of the requested ride. One-way ride passes may also be available for purchase at the Bookstore.

School Bus Policy

Upon boarding the bus:

  1. Students who are registered for the bus service must present their bus identification tag to the driver. If students who are registered for the bus service do not present their bus identification tag, they must provide their name and signature to the driver, along with a reason for not having the required identification. Students who do not have their bus identification tag five times during the course of a semester may be charged a processing fee of $10 each subsequent time they board the bus without the required identification. Students should notify the Campus Services and Events office if they have lost their bus pass and need a replacement pass.
  2. Students who are not registered for the bus service must present a one-time/one-way ride pass to the driver each time they board the bus. Passes can be requested in advance by contacting the Campus Services and Events office. Students who do not have a one-time/one-way ride pass must provide their name and signature to the driver. Students riding without a one-time/one-way ride pass will automatically have their IA charged $15 for each occurrence.

Students are expected to remain seated and well behaved while on the bus, and to uphold the rights and well-being of others. All student behavior policies, as outlined in this Handbook, also apply to the bus.

Instructions by the driver must be followed in full immediately.

Failure to follow any of the above policies will result in a conversation with the Deans’ Office and may result in the loss of bus privileges and loss of fees.

Students should arrive at least 5 minutes ahead of their scheduled pick-up time and cooperate in keeping the bus on schedule. The same rule applies for the afternoon pick-up time. This “flex time” is needed due to traffic and weather conditions.

Pick-up times may be changed on certain days, such as the beginning and end of the school year and the beginning of school vacations. Students should pay close attention to any such announcements.

If a bus stop location or time needs to be changed, it will be communicated in writing to those families affected. Detailed bus information can be found at www.milton.edu/bus.

Faculty & Staff Drivers

In the course of the year, students may participate in community service projects, field trips, house-sponsored trips, advisee group trips, weekend activities trips, or other trips where employees of the school will drive either a 12-person van, minibus or their personal car.

Student Drivers

Boarding student drivers

While boarding students are under its jurisdiction, the school assumes they will not be driving cars. Boarding students are not permitted to have cars on campus, nor may they drive a car to or from campus except when with a parent or guardian. Exceptions to this rule may be made only by the dean of students.

Day student drivers and parking on campus

Day students are allowed to have cars on campus only to attend classes and school events and to return home. Before driving to campus, students and their parents or guardians must fill out a mandatory day student driving permission form. Because driving a vehicle to campus is a privilege, not a right, any student abusing this privilege may lose driving permission. During the academic day, day student cars may not be used for other purposes without permission from a member of the dean of students’ office. Students are required to register their cars with Campus Safety and have a Milton Academy parking sticker on their vehicles. The stickers may be obtained from the Campus Safety office. Cars must be parked in the assigned lots: Class I students will park in the spaces by the ACC; Class II and III students will park in the lot by the swimming pool. Students found in violation of these rules will be reported to the dean of students. Day students are reminded that they are not allowed to drive down Campus Road past Wolcott, Robbins and Forbes houses.

All drivers must abide by driving laws, including Massachusetts’ junior operator restrictions. Newly-licensed drivers are prohibited from driving with passengers under the age of 18 for the first six months of receiving a junior operator’s license.

Vacation Travel

On the days preceding Thanksgiving, winter, and spring vacation, the school provides transportation to Logan Airport for a fee.

Students under 15 years of age are considered “unaccompanied minors” by most airlines and therefore require special arrangements for departure and arrival. Families should check their ticketing airline for details.

A vacation charter bus runs from Milton to New York City via Connecticut for Thanksgiving, winter and spring vacation. Service may be one-way or round-trip.

Boarding Students Signing Out to Leave Campus

The school is concerned about the safety and well-being of its students, both on and off campus. We must therefore insist on careful attention to certain procedures when students leave campus. The dean of students, class deans, and house staff have the right and responsibility to deny permission if they feel that a student’s plans are unclear or unsafe.

Boarding students may sign out on weekends or during free weekday afternoons, assuming it is after 1:15 p.m. or their last academic or required commitment of the day, whichever comes later. When traveling on public transportation, students are required to travel in groups. Parents of students in Classes I and II may give permission for house staff to use their own discretion in allowing their child to travel alone during daylight hours. Normally, underclassmen are not allowed to travel alone without special permission from the dean of students.

On weekends, students in Classes I and II must return to campus by check-in; members of Classes III and IV by 9:00 p.m. An exception may be made for Class III or IV students who are at a private home, the South Shore Plaza, the AMC Braintree 10 cinema or Showcase Cinema in Randolph, and who are planning to return by evening check-in. Transportation for this permission must be a school van, a parent-driven car, or a taxi.

On school nights, all students are required to return to campus by the start of campus-wide quiet hours.

Blue Cards

Boarding students use the Blue Card system to account for their whereabouts when leaving campus, and while away from campus, with permission from the house staff.

Normally, when a boarding student signs out to leave campus, a house staff member must initial the student’s Blue Card before the student leaves and then again upon the student’s return. When students fill out their Blue Cards, the school expects they will provide detailed, accurate information about preliminary and eventual destinations and about means of transportation. For example, if a student is planning to spend an overnight at a friend’s home off-campus, but will be going elsewhere first (e.g., a movie, a restaurant, another private home), they must list both destinations on the Blue Card. In the event that another private home will be visited, students must ensure that an invitation is placed to the house staff member on duty.

The Blue Card must be filled out any time a boarding student:

  1. rides in a car
  2. visits a private home, even their own
  3. leaves campus without adult supervision
  4. leaves campus for any Milton-sponsored evening or weekend activity
  5. leaves the house beyond the normal house check-in hours (e.g., overnight, weekends, late check-ins)

The Blue Card does not need to be filled out when a boarding student is:

  1. competing in a single-day athletic event
  2. attending a Community Engagement activity between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
  3. taking a short trip off campus during the academic day, after having signed out in the Deans’ Office, who will check that the student has the necessary Blue Card permissions.

A change in travel plans occurring after a student leaves campus must be discussed by telephone with the house staff before the change, or the change may be seen as a breach of trust. In general, a parent hosting a boarding student is not authorized to give them permission to change plans; only a house staff member may do so in a direct conversation with the student. Students may not leave voicemail or written messages to indicate a change in plans. Failure to abide by the letter and spirit of the Blue Card procedures will be addressed through in-house responses or referred to the dean of students’ office depending on the nature of the infraction.

The school’s policy is designed to suit the needs of the various age groups and to strike as healthy a balance as possible between participation in the weekend life of the Milton community and freedom to be away on one’s own. The following regulations will be of interest to parents of boarding students and should also be noted by day students’ parents.

School Nights and Exceptions to Boarding Commitments

Given Milton Academy’s belief that students should engage in many opportunities in the Boston area, we strive to support students as they capitalize, responsibly, on Milton’s proximity to programs and programming beyond what we might offer on campus.

House faculty may sign out Class I and II students on school nights, provided that the student asks well in advance (before they sign out), provides a detailed plan for the evening that aligns with their parental permissions to the faculty member on duty, plans to return to campus before 10 p.m. and the faculty member feels the plan is well-organized and safe. In cases when the student will not be returning by evening check-in, a house parent will contact a parent/guardian to review the plans.

Class III and IV students may also sign out on school nights with a detailed plan for the evening approved, well in advance, by their house head, parent/guardian and the dean of students’ office. In these instances, the student’s advisor or house head will contact parents to discuss whether the opportunity is in the best interest of the student given their school commitments during that time period.

In cases where students need to miss boarding commitments on a regular basis for commitments outside of school, those requests must be submitted by application for review by the dean of students’ office.

In all cases, the house faculty, using their discretion, have the right to withhold permission for off-campus travel and overnight stays. If the house faculty should be informed about any particular restriction, please let them know in a separate note.

Midnights

With students given many opportunities to attend plays, performances and movies in the Boston area, Milton Academy believes that it is appropriate for Class I and II students occasionally to stay out past 11 p.m. check-in on a Friday or Saturday. Requests for this privilege are granted under the following conditions:

  1. The student requesting a “midnight” asks the duty person in advance (before they sign out).
  2. The student requesting a “midnight” has given a detailed plan for the evening to the faculty member on duty and the faculty member feels that the plan is well-organized and safe.

Late-Night Policy (Classes III & IV)

Milton Academy believes in the importance of supporting friendships between upperclassmen and underclassmen. These relationships can encourage younger students to explore more of what Boston has to offer in the presence of older students who can teach them about navigating the city.

The “Late Night” policy therefore applies to students in Class III or IV who, with parental permission, may request a “Late Night” on a Friday or Saturday night. In all instances, the appropriate composition of the group is at the house head’s discretion. Normally, underclassmen may request a Late Night with a Class I student in their house during the first semester and a Class I or II student in their house during the second semester. Such requests are granted under the following conditions:

  1. The students requesting the “Late Night” have given a detailed plan for their evening to the faculty member on duty, and the faculty member feels the plan is well-organized and safe. Examples of such plans might include attending an athletic event or cultural event in Boston, or dinner out at a restaurant and a movie.
  2. Students’ plans include checking in by 11 p.m.
  3. In cases where a group of students is going into Boston, there must be an appropriate ratio of older to younger students.
  4. Students may request this privilege no more than once a month, with a maximum of four times per year.

Visiting Private Homes

Any visit to someone’s home (daytime, evening or overnight) must be preceded by a personal invitation from the host parent to the house staff member. This includes all private homes, even those of faculty members who live on campus. Students returning to their own homes must complete their Blue Card as normal and have their parents contact the house head or house staff prior to the visit.

Students in Classes II–IV are not allowed to sign out to private homes with hosts or hostesses who are under the age of 25. Students in Class I may do so, but permission will only be granted when the following requirements have been met:

  1. The house head receives an invitation, as well as the situation details (i.e., age, location, plans).
  2. Having talked to the student first, the house head then must hear from the student’s parents and advise the parents of all the circumstances involved, including any concerns the house head may have. After having understood the above circumstances, the parents must give permission for the overnight.
  3. Transportation and other details must agree with the student’s current permissions.
  4. This permission is not intended for other Milton Academy students to use for signing Class I students out for overnights.

Shuttle Service

Campus Safety offers a shuttle between the North Quincy MBTA station and campus on Saturday evenings on an on-call basis. Requests should be made by dialing Campus Safety at ext. 2911 (or 617‑898‑2911 from off campus) at least 30 minutes before the ride is needed.

Campus Safety does not provide rides for students at other times and may not be used as a taxi service. Under some circumstances, with a call from house staff, Campus Safety may be able to help with transportation. For example, if a student is at a social event that becomes unsafe (i.e., involving the presence of drugs/alcohol) and the student would like to leave, the student may call the person on duty.