Free bus transportation is provided to kindergarten through grade 6 students living beyond walking distance to the school in Shutesbury. Bus stops are located within easy walking distance of their homes. Shutesbury Elementary routes are published in the Amherst Bulletin/Hampshire Gazette and the Greenfield Recorder the week before school starts each year.
Currently, SES uses Five Star for our busing needs. To reach them, call 1-413-537-9332.
IMPORTANT: When pre-school and/or kindergarten children are being returned home by bus in the afternoon, a caregiver or another adult must be present at the bus stop. If an adult is not present, the driver cannot allow these students to get off the bus. Instead, the driver will proceed on the route, notify the bus company and the school, and take the child back to Shutesbury Elementary School where the caregiver will be asked to pick up the child.
The Shutesbury Bus Transportation Policy states, “The purpose of school transportation is to provide safe, comfortable and economical transportation for those pupils living beyond walking distance to the school.” There is a list of rules for proper bus behavior; the most important point, though, is that we are all concerned for the safety of our children on the roads. It is often difficult for an exuberant group of young children to remember that their actions may be distracting to the driver. By helping your child to respect the need for safe transportation, you have helped all of us maintain the safety of everyone on the bus. (School Committee Policy: EEA, 3545 SH; EEAEC; and JICC) Assigned seats and seat belts may be given to students who need assistance in remaining safe and respectful on the bus.
We ask that you please:
Impress upon your child your concern for their safety and the safety of others on the bus.
Go over the rules of bus conduct in such a way that you are certain your child knows how to behave.
Check with your child when they come home about their behavior on the bus (check often in the first few weeks of school, occasionally after that).
Please contact the principal if there is a problem you know about regarding school bus behavior.
The bus driver or principal may assign seats or seat belts.
Please be respectful and courteous.
Use appropriate language.
Please do not eat or drink on the bus.
Be in control of your body and keep your hands to yourself.
Remain in your seat.
Keep your hands and head inside the bus.
Treat the property with respect.
For everyone’s safety, do not distract the driver.
Rules governing behavior are the same as if the students were in school.
Waiting for the bus
Be on time for the bus.
Observe all safety precautions while waiting for the bus.
Students are asked to wait or play in safe areas off roadways.
Avoid crossing the streets, except when absolutely necessary.
If one must cross a street, do so only if you are sure that no moving vehicles are approaching from either direction.
Avoid active play (for example: chase games), in order to remain safe while waiting along the road.
Wait at the designated stop only.
As the bus approaches, line up at least six feet off the road and do not approach the bus until it has stopped and the driver has opened the door.
Load onto the bus
Get on the bus quickly and be seated at once.
Listen carefully and obey all directions issued by the bus driver.
Unloading from the bus
1. Stay in the seat until the bus has stopped and the door has opened.
2. Obey any directions from the bus driver.
3. Leave the bus quickly, wait respectfully for others to clear the aisle.
If you must cross a street as you leave the bus, be sure to walk in front of the bus (never in back of the bus!) at a distance of at least 12 feet from the bus. If you get too close to the front of the bus, the driver will not be able to see you, and a serious accident could occur.
The transportation vendor (Kuzmeskus Bus Company, 413-863-2595) and its staff shall provide a safe, healthy, and well-managed environment that is conducive to appropriate student conduct.
In the unlikely event of an accident involving a school bus or van, there are a series of procedures and protocols that the bus company must follow. First, they will notify the police who, upon arrival, are in charge of all activity at the scene of the accident. The school is then informed and we will contact parents of the children on the bus or van providing accurate and timely information. Parents are asked to stay home and await the continuation of the bus run, or to follow specific instructions. Parents/guardians or friends are specifically asked NOT to come to the scene to pick up their child(ren), as safety officials will not allow these pick ups to occur.
Caregivers should call the principal with any questions or concerns that you may have regarding the bus or van transportation. It is best to discuss concerns when they are first occurring in order to avoid the frustration of a long-standing issue.
A note must be sent in informing the school or a change in dismissal plans. That note must be presented at the office as soon as possible. Transportation can be provided only if there is space available on the bus. These arrangements must be made before the students arrive at school. Children will not be permitted to use the school phone to make last minute arrangements. If you are calling to change bus arrangements in an emergency, please do so by 1:00 pm or by 10:00 am on a Wednesday.
PLEASE NOTE: Birthday parties or student social gatherings after-school that involve large amounts of students should NOT be utilizing SES buses for transportation.
Van transportation could be needed for students at Shutesbury Elementary School. It may be determined by the principal, director of special education, and/or a student's individualized education program, that a child be picked up daily by a van. In any case, the school has collaboratively developed guidelines with the bus company and the Shutesbury Police in order to bring safety and equity to providing transportation to students on a van versus a school bus. Assignment to a van for transportation will be made in order of the following priorities:
Students with special transportation needs
Students who live where there are roadway safety concerns as determined by public safety officials, the transportation company, and school officials
Students who are the sibling of a kindergartener or student with special transportation needs. (This placement is subject to availability and is determined by the principal.)
Any appeals with regard to these guidelines must be done in writing to the attention of the school principal. A transportation team will convene at its earliest convenience to review the concern, and determine next steps.
In order to assist resident families with children in the Shutesbury Elementary Pre-School program, the School Committee allows for limited school-sponsored transportation of pre-school children. Unless a written request is made and written approval granted, it should be presumed that transportation for Pre-School students is not provided by the school. Please note that School Committee Policy (EEAB) now allows for limited access for pre-school students to utilize school-sponsored transportation. This is determined on a case-by-case basis to accommodate children who “could not attend school otherwise”. Please see the Early Childhood Family Handbook for further information and contact the principal directly for policy guidelines.
All Pre-School children being transported on school-owned or contracted vehicles to attend Shutesbury Elementary:
• Are allowed to ride on a space available basis and be at least four years of age and have an older sibling riding the bus.
• Are allowed to ride on a traditional bus (the “yellow bus”) as well as a van
• Must have signed written consent of the principal and the caregiver
Receiving transportation services is contingent upon appropriate behavior of the student and family circumstances, among other factors.
Shutesbury Elementary is not responsible for mid-day pickups of Pre-School students or other program-related transportation of Pre-School that would incur costs to the district beyond those required for transporting students in grades K-6. Pick up and drop off locations need to correspond with existing bus routes. An adult must be present for pick up and drop off.
(School Committee Policy EEAB)
School rules are in effect for children while they wait for the bus and while on the bus. Children whose behaviors are disruptive, inappropriate and/or endanger the health, safety, and welfare of other riders and/or the driver will face disciplinary action including the loss of publicly-funded transportation in accordance with regulations established by the superintendent or principal and approved by the School Committee. (School Committee Policy: EEA, 3545 SH; EEAEC; and JICC). Children may face other disciplinary action at the discretion of the principal in addition to the loss of publicly funded transportation in accordance with those regulations. Serious misbehavior on the bus may also result in suspension or expulsion from school.