Bus Safety Protocols

Valley Park School: Bus Protocol Form

The safety of our young children is very important. Please remember that it is your legal responsibility to be present or make arrangements with another adult to receive your child/children at the end of the school day. It is difficult when parents/guardians or authorized adults are not present to receive their children when the school bus arrives at the bus stops. In those cases, the bus drivers have to bring the children back to school, which can be an upsetting experience for some children.

Parents/guardians of Valley Park School students who are not present or do not have an authorized adult present to receive their child/children when dropped off by the school bus at the end of the school day will be assessed supervision charges (currently $31.15/hour, rounded to the nearest half hour) for those children who are returned to school and placed in the after school Escort “Pick Up Pals” Program until picked up by the parent/guardian or authorized adult. Additionally, any parent/guardian of a child who is returned to the school habitually, which is defined as three (3) or more times in a school year, may be referred to an appropriate State agency. Furthermore, if a parent/guardian/authorized adult is excessively late on any given day to pick up the child from the Escort “Pick Up Pals” Program, which is defined as after 4:45 PM, the school will contact Pennsville Police Department personnel to arrange for extended supervision of the child and to determine if any other action is warranted.

This protocol must be acknowledged in the electronic back to school forms by the due date for students to continue to ride the bus. Please understand your legal responsibility and the protocol that is in place starting the first day of school. Failure to sign and return the form will result in your child/children not being permitted to ride the bus until a signed form is received.

We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and assistance in providing for the safety of your child/children.

Bus RULES

School bus service is maintained to provide transportation to and from school for eligible Pennsville students. Students must have a completed No student may ride the bus if he/she is not a Pennsville resident. All students who ride a school bus have a responsibility to be considerate of the comfort and safety of others as well as themselves. The following guidelines must be adhered to in order to maintain your bus privileges:

• Be on time.

• While waiting for the bus, students should not stand on or play in the road or abuse the property of the homeowners living near the bus stop.

• Never run to or from the bus.

• Stand back from the curb.

• Wait for the driver’s signal before crossing.

• Do not push, shove, or fight.

• Stay in your assigned seat and wear your seatbelt at all times.

• Do not yell or shout.

• Do not put heads, arms, hands, feet, or any other objects out of the windows.

• Do not throw articles inside the bus or out of the windows.

• Do not eat or drink on the bus.

• Always obey the driver; be courteous at all times.

• Exit the front door only (except in cases of emergency).

• Always cross at least 10 feet in front of the bus.

• Never crawl under a school bus.

• Take care of your bus; parents are responsible for damages caused by their child’s actions.

• All students must ride their assigned bus. Any bus change request must be made in writing through the Transportation office, located in the District Office.

• 24-48 hours notice is needed to make any changes or additions as requested by the parent.

• Changes must be approved by the Transportation Office before the student can begin with the change; never assume your request will be granted.

The bus driver has absolute authority on the bus at all times. Failure to comply with the regulation may result in a student’s bus privileges being suspended or terminated and disciplinary action taken. Students are expected to demonstrate safe behavior on the bus and at the bus stop.