BUS RULES
by Phil Miller
ROUTES
A. The school transportation system is primarily designed to convey students from home to school and school to home, with emphasis on the health and safety of students. Routes shall be planned to provide the best possible service to each rural area in the district. Consideration shall be given to minimize travel time and miles traveled.
B. Safety of the passengers shall receive first consideration when a decision has to be made regarding where and when a bus shall operate. Buses shall operate only on routes established by the Transportation Office, with Board approval when applicable. Route changes must be made and approved by the Transportation Office and the Board when applicable. Routes may be altered or discontinued at any time due to boundary and/or population changes, or school schedule requirements.
School buses will furnish regular transportation to students living in designated rural areas that have an acceptable road, which can efficiently be part of the bus route.
Bus stops within city limits will be placed outside a minimum-walking radius from the main school building as follows:
A. 1 mile from an elementary school
B. 1.5 miles from a junior high school/middle school
C. 2 miles from a high school
No transportation shall be provided to children living within these walking distances unless approved by a local district. As stated in the Pupil Transportation Rules and Regulations, a local district may, by official board action, transport students within the walking distance if they find that there is a physical barrier that would prevent a student from walking to school or a safety hazard that could cause the student harm. No Middle School student that lives within 1.5 miles of the middle school will be allowed to ride a route bus unless the student lives on the north side of Broadway Street.
While the Board of Education provides pupil transportation according to policy, it does not relieve parents of students from the responsibility of supervision until such time as the child boards the bus in the morning. Once a child boards the bus, he or she falls under the supervision of the school district. Such supervision shall end when the child is delivered to the regular bus stop at the close of the day.
Whenever it would be in the best interest of the affected children, the local board of trustees may provide for isolation reimbursement to the family in lieu of bus transportation to the nearest bus stop.
Unusual circumstances may be brought before the board of trustees.
Continuous evaluation and improvement of bus transportation will be pursued by the administration.
TRANSPORTATION OF AUTHORIZED PERSONS
A. Authorized students are those students who are currently enrolled in Hot Springs County School District No. 1. If parents wish their child(ren) to ride another district bus, they must make their request in writing and give it to the bus driver, who in turn will notify the Transportation Supervisor.
B. Individuals other than authorized students will be allowed to ride the bus as approved by the appropriate building administrator.
C. No pre-school aged children will be allowed to ride the buses.
D. Drivers are expected to know his/her student passengers and
permit only authorized
persons to ride in the bus.
AUTHORITY OF BUS OPERATORS AND STUDENT DISCIPLINE
The secret to good discipline lies in confronting a problem as soon
as it arises. By failing to confront a discipline problem you are
allowing the problem to become aggravated and the problem will get
out of hand. Only by prompt action can a problem be identified and
eliminated. All bus drivers will keep a notebook in which they log
all behavior problems and action taken in regard to disciplining
students. The following procedures shall be utilized for behavior
problems: 1. Confront the student / students immediately. 2. Follow
the procedures outlined in “Outline For Behavior Management,” page
13. The authority to suspend bus-riding privileges of a student
lies with the Building Principal. Students are to be discharged
only at the school or assigned bus stop. Never discharge a student
during the route as a disciplinary action. The bus driver may
assign seats if he/she feels it necessary for discipline purposes.
If students are not following instructions, the bus driver may pull
off the road to a safe stop until the students have maintained
order. The bus shall be as far right in the parking lane as
possible with no part of the bus being in the lane of traffic. A
school bus driver must never enforce discipline by use of
profanity, striking a student, or use of physical force. Report any
disruptive behavior/trouble to this office immediately. Parents are
encouraged to come in and talk over any discipline problem with the
driver and his/her supervisor.
OUTLINE FOR
BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT
Steps to be followed:
1. Talk to the student about his/her behavior - define your expectations and the need for rules. Log it in your book and make the student aware that you are logging it.
2. Let the student know that you will contact his/her parents regarding the situation.
3. Let the student and parent know that a Disciplinary Report will be issued for the next infraction of the bus rules.
4. Transportation Disciplinary Reports should be properly filled in. Also note that you should contact the parents as part of this process.
5. The Transportation Disciplinary Report will be sent to the appropriate principal for further disciplinary action.
A. Written Warning – The bus driver will discuss the problem with the student and try to find a solution so that the behavior will not occur again. (A short entry will be documented in the bus driver’s daily log.) The driver will tell that student that the next violation of the bus rules will result in an Official Write-up (step B). A written warning slip will be sent home, signed by the parent, and returned to the bus driver.
B. First Official Write-up – The bus driver will discuss the problem with the student and try to find a solution so that the behavior will not occur again. In addition, a “Notice of Violation of Bus Rules” will be completed and sent to the student’s parents, building principal, and Transportation Director. The Principal will also meet with the student to discuss the behavior problems.
C. Second Write-up - The bus driver will discuss the problem with the student and try to find a solution so that the behavior will not occur again. In addition, a “Notice of Violation of Bus Rules” will be completed and sent to the student’s parents, building principal, and Transportation Director. The Principal will also meet with the student to discuss the behavior problems. The student will receive up to three (3) days noontime isolation.
D. Additional Write-ups – If the incident is a minor one, the same procedure as in C is followed. If the offense indicates the student has a problem with consistent, inappropriate behavior, a conference will be held with the principal, the student, the transportation supervisor, the bus driver (if possible), and the parent(s) (if possible). After solutions are explored, a behavior contract will be written to include consequences of future offenses, which may include suspension of bus riding privileges.
E. Serious Offense – In case of serious offenses, the building principal may circumvent the preceding steps and suspend a student’s riding privileges. A student suspended from riding the bus will be expected to attend school while suspended. If the student does not attend school without an acceptable excuse, then the school principal will follow normal district procedure.
In the need for immediate removal of a student from the bus, the bus driver should safely pull the bus to a stop, call an administrator or the transportation supervisor, and wait for their arrival. The administrator/transportation supervisor will then take responsibility for the supervision and discipline of the student, and the bus driver will complete the route. The parents of the student shall be advised in writing within 72 hours of each disciplinary action taken by the principal. Each bus driver will maintain a log of events, kept on the bus, just as the certified staff members do. With respect to each disciplinary problem, the log shall show the date, name of the student, nature of the problem, whether parents were notified and the date notified, the date the Transportation Supervisor was notified, and any other action taken.
Please follow the steps outlined above so that the administration can support you. Support the administration's decision in removal of a student from the bus. An administrator may have the responsibility for immediate removal of a student from the bus for serious offenses. Administrators may have the choice of dealing with discipline immediately, on the spot, and making transportation aware of this decision.
Develop rules using student input, if possible. Help the
students understand that SAFETY is your priority. Make students
aware of the hazards created by loud, disruptive behavior on the
bus. Those students willing to cooperate should be complimented.
Those that are not cooperative should be made aware of the
consequences and held accountable.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENTS AND PARENTS
1. Be at the bus stop 5 minutes early, ready to board the bus. Avoid rushing.
2. Be careful in approaching the school bus stop. Wait until the bus is at a complete standstill before attempting to enter.
3. Remain off the road at all times and behave in a safe manner while waiting for the bus.
STUDENT RULES
& REGULATIONS TO FOLLOW WHEN RIDING SCHOOL BUS
1. Students must follow the directions given them by the adult in
charge.
2. While waiting for the bus, students must remain at a safe distance from the bus until it has come to a complete stop and the door is open.
3. Passengers of a school bus are limited to regular and approved pupils and activity sponsors.
4. The possession or use of tobacco, alcohol, or controlled substances is prohibited.
5. Guns (loaded or unloaded), shells, explosive articles, matches/lighters, knives, or any other potentially dangerous items are prohibited.
6. Offensive language, disruptive behavior, or discourteous behavior is prohibited.
7. Bus riders must remain in their seat and face forward while the bus is in motion. Riders are not to move or change seats unless instructed by the driver.
8. Heads, hands, feet, and all objects are to be kept inside the bus at all times. There is to be no throwing or shooting of any articles at any time.
9. Animals are prohibited.
10. Riders are not to tamper with the emergency doors, windows, or any bus equipment. Any damage done to the seats or other bus equipment will be paid by the offender.
11. Riders are to keep books, lunch boxes, and other objects out of the aisles and off the seats.
12. Riders are to keep their seating areas clean. All trash must be deposited into a trash can.
