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Bus Rider's Safety Handbook

Bus Rider's Safety Handbook

The goal of this Bus Rider’s Safety Handbook is to help provide a safe and enjoyable experience for students who ride the school buses. Parents are responsible for reading and discussing the material in this handbook with their child. Riding a school bus is a privilege provided by the school district and should be treated as such. To ignore these rules will result in disciplinary action or suspension of the privilege.

Bus Rules

  1. Observe same conduct as in the classroom.
  2. No profane language, inappropriate behavior or vandalism.
  3. No food, gum or drinks (water only)
  4. Footballs, basketballs, volleyballs and skateboards must be kept in backpack.
  5. No Tobacco, alcohol, drugs or weapons.
  6. No Screaming, yelling or horse playing.
  7. Stay in your seat, face forward and buckle up at all times.
  8. Keep head, hands, feet and objects to yourself and inside the bus at all times.
  9. No pens, pencils or sharp objects.
  10. Follow driver’s instruction, driver is authorized to assign seats.
  11. No electronic video/audio recording or pictures.
  12. Headphones are required while listening to electronic devices

General Rules

  1. Stay seated facing the front, back to back, bottom to bottom, backpack in lap, and feet on the floor.
  2. Keep your hands, feet and objects to yourself, inside the bus and out of the aisle.
  3. Students can have only one designated stop in the morning and one in the afternoon.
  4. Students K-2nd must have a parent, guardian, babysitter, sibling 3rd - 5th grade, etc., to exit the bus at their designated bus stop. If no one is able to accept K-2nd, the student will be returned to the campus. If the student has been returned to the campus three (3) times, transportation services are no longer available for the semester.
  5. Board and leave the bus at designated stops only.
  6. Ride only the bus to which you are assigned.
  7. Only in emergency situations may a student ride a bus to which he/she is not assigned. The campus must be notified by 1:00 p.m. A temporary bus pass will be issued to the student.
  8. Students may be required to walk up to ½ of a mile to arrive at the bus stop.
  9. Students must have a SMART Tag ID badge issued by the district to board and disembark the bus. Please see section below regarding SMART Tag information and rules.

It is a violation of school policy to permit a student to get off the bus and ride with some other person or student without his/her having a Bus Rider Pass. Once a student boards the bus, it becomes the responsibility of the driver to deliver that student to school or back home unless the student has a Bus Rider Permit to give to the bus driver. Bus rider permits may be obtained in the following manner: Principal or his/her designee has approved such a request and issued a temporary bus rider pass to the student to be given to the driver when boarding the school bus.

Procedures for Waiting for the Bus

  1. Be at the bus stop at least five (5) minutes before scheduled pick-up time. The driver will not wait or honk the horn.
  2. 2. Stand on the sidewalk or back from the roadway while waiting for the school bus. When the bus approaches, form a line and be prepared to load immediately.
  3. Stand clear of the bus until it comes to a complete stop.
  4. If you miss the bus, go home immediately.
  5. Parents should instruct their child on what procedures to follow if the bus is missed.
  6. Parents are responsible for providing transportation to school if a student misses the bus.

Loading the Bus

  1. Do not push or shove.
  2. Use the handrail and steps.
  3. The bus driver will assign seats.
  4. Go to your seat; the bus will not move until all are seated.
  5. For your own safety buckle up.

Getting Off the Bus

  1. Stay seated until the bus is completely stopped.
  2. Use the handrail and take one step at a time when leaving the bus.
  3. Wait for your turn to leave the bus.
  4. Stay clear of the bus when the engine is started, do not chase or hang onto the bus.
  5. Ask the driver for help.

Dropping Off Kindergarten thru 2nd Graders

Parents or a designee must be at the bus stop to receive K thru 2nd grade students. If no one is there to receive the student, the student will be returned to the campus. It is the responsibility of the parent to see that the students who are returned to the school are picked up. Students returned more than three times a semester will have their riding privileges suspended.

Crossing the Street or Highway

  1. When crossing the street or highway, walk in front of the bus and wait for the driver to signal that it is safe to cross.
  2. Check in both directions and walk directly across the road.
  3. Never cross the road behind the bus.
  4. CAUTION: Be alert for vehicles that do not stop when the bus is loading or unloading.
  5. Cross the streets at intersections when possible. Obey all traffic signals and signs on your way to and from the bus stop.

Prohibited Items

  1. Tobacco and vaping products of any kind.
  2. Live animals or insects
  3. Glass containers.
  4. Alcoholic beverages.
  5. Weapons (guns, knives), explosive devices, fireworks, harmful drugs or chemicals.
  6. Open flames of any kind (matches, lighters, etc.)
  7. Any object (musical instrument, shop or science projects) too large to be carried by the students.
  8. Food, chewing gum and/or drinks.
  9. Helium filled/floating balloons.
  10. Electronic devices are allowed. Audio must be played with headphones or earbuds only. Pictures, videoing, etc. is not allowed. Bus driver's have the authority to take up device if it becomes a safety issue or if inappropriate. Student will receive electronic device when student disembarks. 1
  11. Skateboards. Athletic balls and equipment must be kept in a bag at all times.

Route Changes

All requests by parents for bus route changes should be directed to the Transportation Department. Please note, that due to state regulations, drivers of state approved school bus routes may not make changes to state approved bus routes.

K - 12 School Discipline Procedures

The school bus is an extension of the classroom. The Transportation Director or his/her designee will administer discipline. All school board policies that apply to student conduct and other student-related activities apply to the school bus. Steps and consequences for improper conduct on the school bus include the following:

  1. Written Warning: The school bus driver issues a written warning with documentation. It will serve as an advanced warning of the violation of safety procedures for riding a bus. A copy of the documentation will be sent home to the parents of the student and to the school.
  2. Conduct Report: If a verbal warning or a written warning has been issued and the student continues to violate the safety procedures, a conduct report is written and the student is denied bus riding privileges for the prescribed days. The number of days suspended will include the morning and afternoon routes, extra and co-curricular trips, and any shuttles.

Parents will receive written notification of misconduct as well as the school where the student is enrolled.

  • First Report: Phone call warning
  • Conduct Report #1: Warning sent home
  • Conduct Report #2: Warning sent home
  • Conduct Report #3: Three (3) days removal/suspension from transportation services
  • Conduct Report #4: Five (5) days removal/suspension from transportation services
  • Conduct Report #5: One (1) month removal/suspension from transportation services
  • Conduct Report #6: Removal/suspension from transportation services for the remainder of the year

The Transportation Director has the authority to take these steps out of sequence for serious violations and to repeat them if the misconduct is a serious safety violation. Infraction of any bus rules that could endanger the health and safety of students will result in the immediate removal of the student’s bus riding privilege for the remainder of the school year. Students are subject to arrest by authorities and removal from the bus if they refuse to follow the directions of the school bus driver.

Detection

District school buses are equipped with video cameras that will record the conduct of the students and any verbal communication between student and driver. This recording may be used for disciplinary purposes.