Kindergarten Transportation
FAQ’s
Do I need to sign up for Bus Transportation and if so, how?
NO, presently we plan and schedule for ALL students to ride the bus to school based on our school registrations. YOUR CHILD MUST BE REGISTERED FOR SCHOOL TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING
How do I know where my bus stop will be and what time my bus will come?
Bus routes are posted to the school website around mid-August. They’re also printed in local newspapers around the same time. Routes include an estimate of times at each bus stop. Routes are typically the same year over year so if you look at this year’s routes, you will get a pretty good idea of what next year’s routes will likely look like.
What if I need my child dropped at a different location than my home?
As long as it’s communicated to the school department and is consistent, we can accommodate this type of request. The main people to inform are your child’s teacher, and the transportation department. E-mail is usually the most effective method of sharing this information. Teachers need to know as they are directly helping students get to the correct location at the end of the day and the transportation department will inform drivers of new students on their route.
We live on a main street; will the bus stop at our driveway?
Most likely, unless you live at or very near a corner with an existing stop. Tewksbury does not have many sidewalks so walking on most of our main roads is not safe, particularly for our youngest bus riders.
What happens on the first day when the students arrive at school?
During orientation, families complete BUS TAGS for students. These tags will be worn for the first few weeks of school, until a routine develops. The first day in the driveway of our elementary schools is an “All hands on deck” situation. All staff members assist in getting students OFF the bus and headed towards the appropriate destination. Staff members first assist our Kindergartners, with the assistance of their bus tag.
Why aren’t there seat belts on School Buses?
Because School Buses are such big, heavy vehicles, they rely on a process called “compartmentalization” to contain and protect students in the event of an accident. The front and rear of the seats are padded, which creates a safe zone, or “compartment”, for students. Of course, students need to be seated properly, so it’s important to review this with your student.
Secondly, School Bus construction lends itself to safety. They are constructed on heavy steel frames for added safety and the floor of the bus actually sits higher than most vehicles on the road. So impact from another vehicle generally happens below the feet of the passengers, which creates a safer situation than impact between 2 like-sized vehicles.
Someone told me that all kindergarten students are supposed to get dropped off at their driveway, is that true?
NO. This misinformation dates back to when the district had half time kindergarten and our mid-day Kindergarten ONLY buses, provided door-to-door service. Today, all K-4 students are dropped at the General Route bus stops as listed on our website.
Does an adult need to be at the Bus Stop to meet my child?
Not necessarily. At single “driveway” stops, this will usually be the case. Parents at ALL stops should inform the driver IF they do NOT want their student left at the stop unless they are present. Drivers will generally err on the side of caution and keep a child on board the bus if they are unsure if they should let a student off the bus. The best method of ensuring everyone is satisfied is sound communication between parents and drivers. There are so many situations at our varied Bus Stops across the district, we have found it impossible to have a “one size fits all” policy. Here are a few of the situations that we see existing:
A large neighborhood bus stop and all families are comfortable with the group of students walking together into the neighborhood.
A large neighborhood bus stop and parents develop a rotating schedule of one parent that will meet the bus and walk/drive into the neighborhood with all the students.
Older siblings home from another school meet a student at an elementary bus stop.
Older siblings on the same bus (K student and 4th grader) walk home together
What happens if I’ve indicated that I don’t want my student dropped off and I’m late getting to the Bus Stop?
Bus drivers will continue on with their route, then check back at the stop at the end of the route. If no one is there yet, they will return the student to their school. School personnel will attempt to contact parents or other contacts listed in our student database.
If we haven’t answered your specific question here,
please email David Libby, Business Manager: dlibby@tewksbury.k12.ma.us