Parents are held accountable for their child’s conduct in and around the bus stop and are monetarily responsible for any property damage caused by their child. Parents are encouraged to accompany their child to and from the bus stop each day. School and transportation schedules do not allow drivers to wait at a stop location for students who have not arrived; therefore, students should be outside at their designated bus stop five minutes prior to the scheduled bus arrival time. While waiting for the bus, students are not to call names, hit, bully, or otherwise harass other students.
Kindergarten students are required to be met at the bus stop in the afternoon by their parent or other responsible adult. Kindergarten students will not be allowed to get off the bus until the parent or responsible adult is present. A Kindergarten student can be released with older siblings or by themselves only after written permission by the student's parent/guardian has been given to the Transportation Department or school office.
Many fatalities have occurred during the loading and unloading process at bus stops, and we have established procedures to do everything we can to keep our students safe. When waiting for the bus to arrive, students are to stand in a straight line ten feet off of the side of the roadway and remain standing in a safe and orderly manner. Students are never to walk behind the bus or approach the bus until it has come to a full stop. Students should not approach the bus until the driver opens the door.
The bus driver must have the student’s full attention during the loading and unloading process, and it is important that students are able to hear the driver shout or honk to warn of impending danger. Therefore, students are not to have headphones over their ears, and they are not to be using electronic devices, including cell phones. As they approach or leave the bus area, students are to do so in an orderly manner. If they drop something, they should never attempt to go after it without informing the bus driver. They are to be careful when going up and down the bus steps and use the handrail for added security.
The biggest danger to students during the loading and unloading process is when they are required to cross the road. Students who must cross the street are to wait and make eye contact with the driver—when it is safe to cross, the driver will signal by making a wide sweeping hand gesture. It is especially important that you stress to your child that they MUST continually be looking for traffic even after the driver has signaled that it is safe to cross. Many of the fatalities that have occurred at bus stops could have been prevented if students had been taught to continually look for traffic.