One area of continued concern is student safety. Parents are asked to review and reinforce bus safety procedures such as not crossing the road until given the "thumbs up" sign by the driver. Community members are asked to be vigilant for stopped busses as the curves and hills of many roads do not allow for advance warning.

Equally important is adherence to school procedures for changing a child’s normal drop-off location. To provide the greatest safety measure, parents and guardians are asked to provide the school with a signed bus note indicating the address and name of the person to whom the child will be dropped off. Recognizing that emergencies do arise, changes without a signed bus pass are required to be approved by an administrator.

Thank you for your continued support. Together we will continue to positively impact the lives of our children.

Please try to remember to send in a note with updates (new address, change in telephone numbers...) for your Emergency forms. Last year there were several incidents where we couldn’t contact parents because information was invalid. Don’t rely on children to pass on such important information.

BUS NOTES

Sample Bus Note Form

All bus changes should be received in written form prior to 1:00 p.m. This includes written notes, faxes, or e-mails with telephone approval. Please be sure to include the child’s first and last name, location to be dropped off including address and name of residence, the dates to be dropped off or picked up, parent/guardian’s signature, and the date of request. At times, substitute secretaries may be on duty and aren’t always familiar with the names and locations within our district.

For those children who go to more than one household, i.e. babysitter, alternate parent, or relative, feel free to send in a permanent bus pass by the week, month, or year if you know the schedule.

PICKUP-UP & DROP-OFF GUIDELINES

PICK-UP:  A child is expected to be waiting at the pick-up stop for the bus upon arrival.  In the case of inclement weather, students may wait under cover with their coats, shoes, and backpacks on.  When the door to the bus opens, the student(s) should be visibly walking to the bus.  The bus cannot wait at each stop for multiple siblings to walk individually to the bus.

DROP-OFF:  Pre-K - 3 students will only be dropped off at home when the driver makes visual contact with a responsible individual.  Students in grades 4-12 will be dropped off without visual contact.  To alter these drop-off guidelines, the parent/guardian needs to provide the office with written notification with specific details.

Bus Safety Rules

To help maintain the safety of our students while on the bus, drivers are required to enforce the following rules:

*Students are to remain seated at all times.

*Students are to keep hands and feet out of the aisle.

*Students are to keep hands and feet to themselves.

*Students are to use appropriate language.

*Students are to keep their voices at a low level.

*Students are not permitted to eat or drink while on the bus.

*Students are to respectfully and immediately follow the directions of the driver.

Parents and guardians are asked to review proper bus behavior with their children.