Transportation

School Bus Safety Guidelines for Students and Parents:
Getting on the school bus

• Make sure children arrive 10 minutes prior to the arrival of the bus. Parents should NEVER try to catch a bus if their child misses the bus. Instead, please drive your child directly to school to ensure his/her safety.
• When waiting for the bus, instruct children to stay away from traffic and avoid roughhousing or other behavior.
• Keep children away from the street or road as the school bus approaches – Make sure your child is mindful of the Bus Danger Zone – the area around a bus where children are in most danger. Children should stay 10 feet away from the bus and never go behind it.
• Instruct children to wait until the bus has stopped completely and the bus driver signals that it’s OK to approach the bus before stepping onto the roadway.

Behavior on the bus

• Please share with your child that loud talking or other noise can distract the bus driver. It is required that students respect those around them and the requests of the bus driver.
• Children should never put their head, arms or hands out of the window, nor should they throw anything out of the window.
• Keep aisles clear -- books or bags are tripping hazards and can block the exit in an emergency.
• Children should wait for the bus to stop completely before getting up from their seat.
• Children may only bring items onto the bus that will fit in their laps. If large projects need to be brought to school, please arrange alternative transportation for your child.

Getting off the school bus

• If your child must cross the street in front of a bus, make sure they know to walk at least 10 feet ahead of the bus along the side of the road, until they can turn around and see the driver signal to them that it is OK to cross the street.
• Children should always make sure bus drivers can see them.
• When the driver signals, children may walk across the road, keeping an eye out for sudden traffic changes.

Crossing the street

• Children should always stop at the curb or the edge of the road and look left, then right, and then left again before crossing.
• They should continue looking in this manner until they are safely across the street.
• If students' vision is blocked by a parked car or other obstacle, they should move out to where drivers can see them and they can see other vehicles -- then stop, and look left-right-left again.

What can parents do to help ensure children’s safety?

• Reinforce safety awareness among children by reviewing bus safety procedures with them.
• Arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the arrival of the bus. Please, NEVER, follow or try to flag down a bus if you are late in dropping off your child at the bus stop. If your child gets out of the car and tries to “catch” a bus, it puts them in grave danger. The best response would be to continue to drive your child directly to school.
• Continue to update your emergency contact information with the school that your child attends.
• Work with other Safety Team Members such as the school nurse for medical concerns, school bus driver for bus safety concerns, etc.
• When you see a school bus, be mindful of children getting on or off of the bus.
• When you meet a school bus with red signal lights flashing and stop arm extended, you MUST STOP.
• DO NOT MOVE until all the children are safely loaded or are 10 feet off of the road and have reached a place of safety.