As a parent, you are your child’s most influential teacher. We ask that you teach your child the school bus safety rules listed below prior to the first day of school. This important information will help to explain bus safety on and around the school bus. Spend time with your child talking about bus safety and explain the reasons why they are important. Go over the guidelines three or four times on different nights, so that your kindergartner will be a safe bus rider when school starts. Thank you for taking the extra time to ensure the safety of your student.
Please note that the first 2 weeks of school the buses will most likely run late as the drivers learn their routes and bus schedules may need to be changed.
For the first few days of school, it would be nice if you could stand with your child at the bus stop until the bus arrives. Encourage them to have a great day at school as you say good-bye to them and watch them board the school bus safely. Also, please remind them who will be at the stop to pick them up after school.
Kindergarten Bus Safety Guidelines
Be ready for the bus at the scheduled time.
Wait until the bus is stopped to move toward the bus and get on.
After getting on the bus, go to a seat, sit down and stay in the seat.
Remain quiet on the bus – talk softly to your neighbor.
Follow the bus driver’s directions.
Take time to learn the bus number.
Be ready to get off the bus when it gets to your stop (everything is in the backpack, mittens on, etc.)
After getting off the bus, walk away from the bus.
Parent’s Guidelines and Explanation for Bus Safety
Be ready for the bus at the scheduled time. Bus times are set according to the students’ streets and the number of children using each bus stop. When a student is late to the stop, the bus must wait; then the bus runs late to all the other stops and arrives at school late. Another concern is that bus riders who are late to stops often don’t act safely (running) and this can put them in a dangerous situation. Children should be ready for their bus 5 minutes prior to the listed pick-up time.
Wait until the bus is stopped to move toward the bus and get on. Students get anxious and want to get on the bus as it arrives, so they run forward while the bus is still moving. This puts a child in a dangerous situation where they could slip and fall in front of or under the bus.
After getting on the bus, find a seat, sit down and stay in the seat. Law requires that students be seated while a bus is moving. Students should sit down quickly so that the bus can continue along its run on time. Students are not to move from seat to seat while on the bus. No student should stand while the bus is moving. This can cause injuries.
Remain quiet on the bus – talk softly to your neighbor. Students can talk while riding the bus. If the talk gets too loud the driver is distracted. It is important that the driver can hear important things like sirens or train whistles. If the driver is distracted by a loud noise they can miss important transportation safety obstacles like a stoplight or a car coming from another direction.
Follow the driver’s directions. The driver is in charge of the bus and sometimes has to tell students to be quiet, or to sit down, or to wait to get on or off the bus. The driver wants to keep students safe and so children should listen and follow the drivers’ instructions.
Take time to learn the bus number. Each bus uses a number to identify itself. The morning bus that picks up students and the afternoon bus that drops off students will have different bus numbers. School staff will help the students to find their correct bus, but it is important that your child knows their bus numbers.
Be ready to get off the bus when it gets to your stop. Students should watch for their stop and have all their things ready to take with them (e.g. backpack, lunch bag, hats, mittens and more). Talk to your child about what they can see from the bus window to know that they are near or at their bus stop. Tell your child not to get up from their seat until the bus has completely stopped.
After getting off the bus, walk away from the bus. Do not stay near the bus. If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk along the side of the road until you can see the bus drivers’ eyes. Wait until the driver waves for you to cross the street. NEVER GO BACK TO THE BUS AFTER YOU GET OFF. IF YOU DROP SOMETHING – GET YOUR MOM OR DAD TO GO WITH YOU TO GET WHAT YOU DROPPED.
Of all the information on this page, number 8 is the most important lesson to teach your child. According to statistics, this is the area where most student fatalities occur. Again, have your child walk away from the bus. If they have to cross in front of the bus, walk far enough in front of the bus to see the drivers’ eyes, cross the street only after the driver says the student can cross and if you drop something near the bus, get an adult to pick it up.