(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, if a board of a school district provides transportation for its resident pupils, other than students with a disability transported under article 3 or other pupils who cannot safely walk to school, the school board shall provide transportation to and from school for each resident public or nonpublic school pupil if both of the following requirements are met:

    (a) The school district provides transportation for the elementary school level, middle or junior high school level, or high school level, as defined by the local school board, in which the pupil is enrolled.

    (b) The pupil attends either the public or the nearest state approved nonpublic school in the school district to which the pupil is eligible to be admitted.

    (2) Transportation provided under subsection (1) shall be without charge to the resident pupil, the parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the pupil.

    (3) A school district is not required to transport or pay for transportation of a resident pupil living within 1-1/2 miles, by the nearest traveled route, to the public or state approved nonpublic school in which the pupil is enrolled. A school district is not required to transport or pay for the transportation of a resident pupil attending a nonpublic school who lives in an area less than 1-1/2 miles from a public school in which public school pupils are not transported, except that the school district shall transport or pay for the transportation of the resident pupil from the public school within the area to the nonpublic school the pupil attends.

    (4) A school district is not required to transport or pay for the transportation of resident pupils to state approved nonpublic schools located outside the district unless the school district transports some of its resident pupils, other than students with a disability under article 3, to public schools located outside the district, in which case the school district shall transport or pay for the transportation of resident pupils attending a state approved nonpublic school at least to the distance of the public schools located outside the district to which the district transports resident pupils and in the same general direction.