Yes, but you'll receive a restriction appropriate to the class of vehicle you road test in for your passenger endorsement (e.g., if you road test in an 18k GVW passenger bus, you'll be restricted to buses requiring a Class C CDL, if you road test in a 26,001 - 33,000k bus, you'll be restricted to buses requiring a Class B or C CDL).
Only if you have the appropriate passenger endorsement.
Class C CDL with School Bus endorsement.
Class C CDL with School Bus endorsement.
You need the passenger (P) and School Bus (S) endorsements.
Air brakes don't matter insofar as license classes go. If it's a bus designed to transport more than 15 persons (including the driver), you'd need a Class C CDL with passenger endorsement (school bus endorsement if it's a school bus). If it's a vehicle carrying a quantity of hazardous materials which requires placards to be displayed, you'd need a Class C CDL with a hazmat endorsement. Otherwise, an ordinary driver's license (the class varies by state).
Only if you have a passenger endorsement. In your case, it should be easy to get, if the church will let you use the bus for the road test. You simply take the passengers written test, road test in the bus, then you'll have the endorsement.
Yes, that's part of your CDL physical.
You'll have to take the General Knowledge test, air brakes test (if applicable), passenger test, you'll have to perform your pretrip and road test in a bus of the appropriate class for the class of license you're going for, and you'll have to undergo a background check for the school bus endorsement.
S (school bus) endorsement. You'll have to get the "P" (passenger) endorsement first, then undergo a background check.
If it's designed to transport more than 15 persons (this number includes the driver), then yes. You'll need a class of CDL appropriate to the vehicle (Class C is under 26,000 lbs. GVWR, Class B if over 26,000 lbs. GVWR), plus you'll need the passenger endorsement, then follow it up with a background check to get your school bus endorsement (if you're going to be transporting school children around, they want to make sure you're not a kiddie fondler). For vehicles such as 15 passenger vans, when it comes to transporting school children, the laws on this vary by state - all states will require the school bus endorsement, but some states might let you put it on your Class D, while others might require you to get a chauffeur's license.
Depends on the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. If it's under 26,000 lbs., you'd need a Class C CDL with the "S" endorsement for school bus (a passenger endorsement plus background check). For the larger ones which gross over 26,000 lbs., you'd need a Class B CDL with "S" endorsement.
Are you talking about an M endorsement for motorcycles? No. You'll have to get a duplicate license showing the M endorsement, but it doesn't require you to retest on anything related to your CDL. You just have to pass to pass the written motorcycle test and the motorcycle road test.The only endorsements which require an additional road test are passenger endorsements (including the school bus endorsement).