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How do I reach the
transportation department?
Please call
Becky Nelson, Transportation Manager, at
281-576-2221 ext. 1279. If you have an
emergency, please call 281-734-0559.
How do I find out
which bus my child will ride?
Please see the BUS ROUTE BY STREET list for the bus
number your child will ride. We prefer not
to post bus stop times for safety reasons.
If you need to know the time the bus will be
arriving at your stop, please call the
Transportation office @ 281-576-2221 ext.
1279. Please note that all times are
approximate.
Why is my child’s bus late?
Weather, traffic, driver absenteeism, maintenance
difficulties, and unforeseen incidents are
responsible for delays in the arrival of
school buses in the morning and afternoon.
In the event your bus does
not arrive as scheduled, please allow 20
minutes before calling the transportation
office.
Why can’t you call when the bus is late?
It is simply a numbers
problem. There are as many as 55-65 students
on each bus. That is 55-65 phone calls in a
short time frame to parents who are probably
at the bus stop with the children. Please
know that there is a bus on the way and that
we are doing everything humanly possible to
transport your child to school in a timely
manner.
Why did you suspend my child from the bus?
Behavioral expectations on the school bus are much like those
in the classroom. The mobility of that
“classroom” and traffic, added noise and the
size of the “classroom” are a potential
catastrophe if there are no clear
expectations and enforcements. The
behavioral expectations on the bus revolve
around the individual rights of every person
on the bus.
When there is an infraction, a referral is turned in to a
school administrator for review, who
determines the consequences based on each
incident. For more information please refer
to the safety guidelines in your child’s
handbook or call the Transportation Manager.
Why does my child have a seat assignment?
Seat assignments are a positive way for the ride to be
consistent and safe. It takes less time to
load at bus stops if students know they have
an assigned seat. This aids in the driver
learning the student’s names as well as pin
pointing vandalism to the seats. As required
by law, in the event of an accident or
emergency, the driver is able to give
authorities a list of students on the bus at
the time and where they are seated.
Seat assignments are also important to keep the students in a
seat with children their own age.
How will I be notified if a change is made to my
child’s stop?
The Transportation Department will send a note home with the
child to give you advance notice of a
change in bus number, driver and bus stop.
The school is also notified so that the
transition is a smooth one for the students.
Can the driver stop at my house to pick up or
drop off my child?
Only certain students, whose needs are addressed through IEP
or 504 Plan, are eligible for curbside
service. This service is typically
restricted to rural areas.
Students in subdivisions are expected to walk some distance to
a bus stop.
I
don’t like where my child’s bus stop is located.
How are locations for bus stop determined?
Your child may have to walk
some distance to and from a bus stop. Bus
stops are located in areas that are a safe
pickup and assure that no child has to walk
an unreasonable distance. We periodically
check the sex offender website and will move
bus stops if we feel children are in danger.
Why does my child need to be at the bus stop 5
minutes before the bus arrives?
The bus driver has a tight schedule to maintain with the
students needing to be on time for breakfast
at school. The bus driver cannot wait for
tardy bus riders at the bus stop. If your
child is running out of the house or down to
the bus stop, the bus driver may not see
him/her. Your child could also fall down
because he/she is rushing to the bus causing
further delays. Students need to be waiting
at the bus stop and not inside the house.
The bus driver cannot take his/her eyes off
the road, looking at your front door or in
your garage to see if your child is coming
to the bus stop.
Will I need to be at the bus stop when my child
arrives home?
Children in grades EC-2nd
will not be dropped off unsupervised. If you
are home, the driver needs to
physically see someone. An opened
front door or garage door is not acceptable.
If you are not at the bus stop or the driver
does not see you, an attempt will be made to
contact you for further instructions. In
most cases, the child will return to the
Transportation Center and you must make
arrangements to have them picked up. We
will not release your child at the bus stop
to someone that not is on the child’s
emergency card. It is very important to
keep emergency contact information updated.
Why did the driver
not stop at my stop when my student was running
late or did not wait for my student to get to
the bus stop?
We make a concerted effort to be consistent on the time we
start the route. After the first stop, many
things can effect the arrival time at
subsequent stops, so even the most
conscientious driver will vary by no more
than a few minutes. Students are told to be
at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to normal
arrival of the bus to allow for those
variances, and to be waiting where they are
visible to the bus driver as the bus
approaches the stop. Drivers are required by
law to activate their yellow lights a
minimum of 100 feet when possible prior to
stopping and turning on their red lights.
If drivers do not see any students present
after stopping, they are not permitted to
wait. Usually, drivers will not leave
students if they are close to the stop and
making an effort to get there as fast as
they can. The loading and unloading process
is the most dangerous part of the bus ride
and students are the safest when they are at
the stop before the bus arrives and not
running for it after it shows up or is
driving away from the stop
I
am standing near the bus or at my door and I
can hear the bus driver yelling at the
children.
The bus driver and the
children are sitting in a “metal building”
with a motor running and loud talking on
the inside of the bus. Sounds echo off of
the metal giving the impression that the bus
driver is yelling. The children are often
talking loud and it is hard for them to hear
what the bus driver is saying from the back
of the bus. If you suspect that the bus
driver is yelling at your child for any
reason, please feel free to call the
Transportation Manager at the number above.
Your complaints are taken seriously and I
assure you it will be investigated
thoroughly, including watching the
video/audio recording that is sometimes
placed on the bus.
My child reported an incident to the bus driver
and she did not do anything about it.
Many times the bus driver
cannot handle a situation immediately
because she must keep her attention on the
road. If the situation is serious the bus
driver will pull over and take care of the
problem or move students away from a
situation. Since the principals handle the
discipline, the students cannot be turned in
until the next morning.
What happens if my child gets on the wrong bus?
Children are loaded in a safe and orderly manner at their
campus. If for some reason your child gets
on the wrong bus, the bus driver will
contact the Transportation Manager’s office
for further instructions. Often times, the
bus driver will be able to drop the child
off at his home after finishing the route or
the child is taken back to the
Transportation Center.
Why can’t the bus stop at my driveway?
The higher frequency of stops can make the motoring public
impatient. This results in people driving
around the bus which can cause greater
safety concerns than the distance a student
walks to a bus stop. It also delays the bus
by increasing the number of stops, making
the overall student riding time longer.
I
cannot see the bus stop from my house.
The school district provides service for approximately 2300
students to and from school each day.
We are not able to position bus stops that
all parents are able to see the stop from
their home. It is the responsibility of the
parent/guardian to ensure that their child
arrives safely to and from the bus stop.
We live in a cul-de-sac. Will the bus come down
our street?
Except to transport special needs children, buses generally
are not routed down cul-de-sacs because of
the danger to small children and property
caused by the bus turning around and/or
backing in a small area. However, if the
cul-de-sac is large enough for the bus to
turnaround without having to repeatedly pull
forward and back up, the bus will come to
end of the cul-de-sac. If the cul-de-sac is
blocked, the bus driver will not be
permitted to drive on that street.
Is
my child allowed to ride another bus other than
his/her own?
In most circumstances, we allow students to ride other buses
with a note signed by the parent and the
principal. However, we must make certain
that a seat is available for your child to
sit. Please call the Transportation office
to check availability. Since we are
responsible for your child’s safety, we may
call you for an explanation or permission
when the situation is questionable.
I tried to speak to the
bus driver at the bus stop about a problem my
child is having on the bus but she said she
could not talk to me right now.
The bus driver has been
instructed to avoid confrontation at the bus
stop with parents. If your child is having a
problem, please send a note with your child
or call the Transportation office at
281-576-2221 ext. 1279 to discuss the
matter. Discussing matters at the bus stop
puts everyone in a defensive position
without all the information and it can
easily turn into a confrontation, which is
inappropriate for the students to witness.
Drivers are trained to try and avoid those
confrontations to the point of closing the
door and driving away. Federal law prohibits
blocking the doorway or interfering with the
bus operation.
What do I need to do when my child needs to ride
a different bus?
You must send a note with
your child. If you make the request over the
phone, you may be required to fax a note
with a copy of your driver’s license so the
information can be verified.
How do we find out about an inclement weather
delay, early dismissal, or cancellation of
school?
The Superintendent is
responsible for the final decision to close
school due to inclement weather. The
decision is made after administrative staff
report from various locations in the
district regarding road conditions. After
the decision is made, the public is notified
through news media. Additional information
can be found on the district website under
school closings.
My questions are
still not answered. What can I do to find the
answers I need?
Please feel free to call the
Transportation Manager at the following
numbers:
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