The heart of every school bus is the certified school bus staff, which includes school bus aides. School districts and charter schools rely on school bus staff for successful pupil transportation.

Requirements

To become a Delaware school bus aide, applicants must be at least 18 years of age and satisfactorily complete the following. These requirements apply to all new applicants and for any person whose aide employment has lapsed for more than a year.

  • School bus driver classroom training or any other district-required training
  • Pre-employment drug test
  • Child protection registry check
  • Criminal background affidavit
  • State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) fingerprinting and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal background checks
  • Delaware school bus aide physical with TB screening

Complete an employment application with either a contractor or a school
district.

Have a contractor or district/school submit a Child Protective Registry
registration.

Complete a pre-employment NON-DOT drug test. If working for a contractor,
have them submit the drug test verification form to a district/school. BAT is not
required for pre-employment. The driver must go to one of the approved drug
testing locations.

Schedule an appointment with IdentoGO online (https://uenroll.identogo.com) or call (866)761-8069. When scheduling the appointment, you must receive the service code for the school district holding your file to be able to schedule your appointment. Individuals are to get a receipt and turn the receipt into the district/school Transportation Office.  The local district’s Human Resource Office reviews the background check, completes the DE School Bus Aide Background Clearance Verification Form, and submits it to the Transportation Office.

Complete School Bus Driver/Aide Affidavit and provide to Transportation
Office (notary required)

Medical Requirement:

  • Have a doctor complete the DDOE School Bus Aide Physical Form
  • Have a TB Test completed and provide results or a letter from a
    physician stating you cannot take the test and are clear of TB.
  • Once the DOE School Bus Aide Physical Form and TB Test Results are
    submitted to the district, a blue physical card will be issued to you

Attend the Department of Education (DOE) 12-hour class in basic school bus driver/aide training. These class are held every month in each county. Please see the training calendar and complete online registration to attend.

Please note, these steps are for guidance only, and the Department of Education is not providing legal advice. The aide is responsible for completing all requirements of the law regardless of whether they are included in this form. If you would like to download a copy of these steps, please see the Requirements and Procedures for Becoming a Certified Aide checklist.

To search the list of applicable forms, please see Pupil Transportation Forms. For a list of Resources as well as Statutes and Regulations, please see School Pupil Transportation.

Training

Aides attend a one day, aid specific training. All training attendees must complete online registration. Training is available in each county. Please review the schedule below and/or download a copy of the training calendar.

New Castle and Kent class times are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please do not arrive for training earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Sussex County times are from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please do not arrive for training earlier than 8:00 a.m.

New Castle County

New Castle County Vo-Tech Marshallton Center, 1703 School Lane, Wilmington, DE 19808

Register for training in New Castle County

Year Month Available Dates
2026 July 9, 30
2026 September 3
2026 October 8
2026 November 2
2027 January 7
2027 March 4
2027 May 6

Kent County

Collette Education Resource Center
35 Commerce Way, Suite 1, Dover, DE 19904

Register for training in Kent County

Year Month Available Dates
2026 July 16
2026 August 27
2026 September 23
2026 October 22
2026 November 19
2026 December 17
2027 January 18
2027 February 25
2027 March 25
2027 April 22
2027 May 27
2027 June 16

Sussex County

Former Millsboro Middle School, 302 East State Street, Millsboro, DE 19966

Register for training in Sussex County

Year Month Available Dates
2026 July 23
2026 August 13
2026 September 14
2026 October 15
2026 December 10
2027 February 18
2027 April 15
2027 June 17