Our mission is to transport students to and from school, and to all extracurricular activities in clean, well-maintained buses driven by vetted, certified drivers. You can rest assured that your son or daughter is in good hands while in the care of our transportation providers. To help meet that safety requirement, the following us rules and bus discipline procedures are in effect for all students of Decatur County Community Schools!
Basic Rules of Conduct:
1. Riding the school bus is a privilege and is a part of the school day. Accordingly, students should adhere to all rules and procedures outlined in the student handbook while being transported to and from school. Classroom conduct is expected.
2. The driver is in charge at all times while on the bus. All driver directives should be followed promptly.
3. Be at your bus stop five minutes prior to the scheduled pickup time.
4. Go to your assigned seat quickly. Stay seated at all times until it is your time to get off the bus, and the bus has come to a complete stop. Seated means facing forward with feet on the floor. Students will be completely out of the aisle if two or less students are in the seat.
5. Keep arms, legs, and objects to yourself and inside the bus.
6. Talk quietly with no inappropriate language or gestures. Quietly means at a level where the driver cannot clearly hear the conversation and the students you are trying to talk to are no more than two seats away.
7. Students are not to bring toys, collectible cards, laser pointers, balloons, or other distracting items to school or onto the bus.
8. Students will not possess the following forbidden items while on the bus: weapons, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, aerosols, combustibles or other contraband.
9. A student may ride a different school bus with a friend, or for other activities, provided there is enough room on the bus and the student follows all bus rules. Students may not have more than one friend ride on their assigned bus without prior permission from the driver. A note, written by the parent or guardian, must be sent verifying that the student may ride a different bus. All males and females riding home together must have the note verified by the school. All notes must be signed and dated by school personnel.
10. Bus windows will not be lowered more than half the distance of their travel.
11. Once a student has boarded their bus at the school, they will not be allowed to exit the bus without authorization from school personnel.
12. The use of electronic devices, to include but not limited to, IPads, Media Devices, and Electronic Books, are allowed on the bus, but DCCS is not responsible for loss, damage or theft of any of these devices. These items must be turned off and secured before entering the school building. Electronic devices are not to be shared with other students while on the bus, but may be used quietly by individual students. Students may not access or activate a Wi-Fi hotspot while on the bus. For the safety of all students, electronic devices are not to be used when entering or exiting the bus. For those students crossing in front of the bus, ear buds must be removed until reaching the far side of the street. If students are violating these rules, the driver has the right to restrict the usage of any electronic device on the bus.
13. Musical instruments must be kept in the seat with the student..
14. No items will be stored in the back window.
15. Any student committing any of the following infractions will face a bus suspension or possible removal from the bus for the remainder of the school year: fighting, possession of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, weapons, abusive or sexually explicit language, any type of threat to the driver or other students, a serious safety hazard, or any other behavior considered totally inappropriate.
Consequences for Violations of School Bus Basic Rules of Conduct:
Students are expected to behave appropriately while traveling to or from school or a school activity. The bus driver and/or school administrators can use any form of reasonable discipline. In general, DCCS Transportation Department will utilize progressive discipline, including up to a one-day suspension from the bus driver. The unique circumstances of each individual's case will be considered before a decision regarding appropriate consequences is made. Every disciplinary
measure/consequence will involve a personal contact to the parent or guardian from the student's bus driver or principal..
The nature of the student behavior will determine the consequence for the infraction. Possible consequences include but are not limited to the following:
Parent Conference
Verbal Warning
Written Warning
Suspension
Removal from the bus for the remainder of the school year