Visit the Transportation Department's web page to learn more : www.effinghamschools.com/transportation.

Riding A School Bus

Although we are committed to the safety of students on the bus and at the bus stop, there are situations that require your assistance and participation in order to ensure the safety of your children when walking to and from the bus stop. Sometimes, children can be exposed to a dangerous situation because of their own or others’ behavior.

Riding the school bus is a privilege for students, and maintaining proper behavior while on the bus is expected in order to protect the safety of all students. Riding the bus also ensures that students will arrive to school on time each day. All pupils being transported are under the authority of the bus driver and must obey his/her requests. The driver has the right to assign seats at any given time. Students must be at the bus stop five minutes before the time for the bus to arrive. The bus will not wait on students who are not at the stop when it arrives. This is necessary in order to complete routes in the time allotted and have students arrive at school on time. Students should remain 12 feet away from the road in a safe area while waiting on the bus. Students must not eat or drink on the bus for their safety and the safety of others. Students may not transport anything on the school bus that will not safely sit on their laps while in their seated position. Students must sit in the seat assigned by the
driver or school administrator. School rules apply on the bus just as on campus or at other school events, and bus behavior is specifically covered in the Code of Conduct. Bus drivers will make disciplinary referrals to the school administration that may result in a conference and warning, or the denial of a student’s right to ride the bus for a given number of days and/or the remainder of the school year. The administration reserves the right to exercise administrative prerogative as necessary. Parents, guardians, and others should not attempt to board a school bus during the bus route.

School Bus Stop Safety/Behavior

There are serious safety issues for students while waiting at the school bus stop. Students are responsible for their actions and behavior while waiting at the school bus stop. School bus transportation can be denied if students do not conduct themselves properly.

The following are essential behaviors for student safety while at the school bus stop. Students should:

1. Get up and get ready on time. Arrive at the bus stop five minutes before the bus is scheduled to come.
   • Students have been struck by their school bus when they arrived late in the boarding process and the bus driver was unaware of their presence. The five minute target ensures the loading of the bus takes place in a routine manner, even if the student is running a couple of minutes late or the bus is running a couple of minutes early. Any break in the normal safety routine places the student in grave danger.
2. Go back home and get help or phone for assistance if you miss the bus. Get someone you know to take you to school. NEVER CHASE AFTER THE BUS, NEVER WALK TO ANOTHER BUS STOP, AND TELL YOUR PARENTS TO NEVER DRIVE YOU TO ANOTHER BUS STOP. Your bus driver will not be expecting you and you will be in grave danger when approaching the unsuspecting school bus driver. It is better to be late for school and be safe!
   • Students have been struck by vehicles or by their school bus when they missed their bus and tried to board a school bus at an unscheduled stop. Any break in the normal safety routine places the student in grave danger.
3. Have all items in your book bag before you leave home so you don’t drop anything.
   • Students have been struck by other vehicles when they dropped something and went after it at the bus stop or struck by their school bus when they dropped something and tried to retrieve it when getting onto the bus.
4. Wait in a safe place, 12 feet away from traffic.
   • Students have been struck by passing vehicles at the bus stop when they got too close to traffic.
5. Never speak to strangers at the bus stop and never get into the car with a stranger. Tell your bus driver, your teacher, or your parents if a stranger tries to talk to you or pick you up.
6. Respect the property of homeowners at the bus stop and also keep the noise down.
7. Respect the rights and safety of other students.
8. Wait in a “single file” line or in an orderly group.
9. Avoid horseplay.
10. Refrain from pushing or shoving.
11. Form an orderly line as the bus approaches, with the first student in line standing 12 feet away from the road.
12. Keep electronic equipment packed away when preparing to board. Never use an electronic device or wear ear buds/headphones when boarding or riding the bus. You MUST be able to hear!
13. Wait before moving to the school bus.

Lack Of Supervision

Per Georgia Department of Human Resources guidelines, children eight years or younger should not be left alone. Children between the ages of nine years and twelve years, based on level of maturity, may be left alone for brief periods of time (less than two hours); and children thirteen years and older, who are at an adequate level of maturity, may be left alone and may perform the role of babysitter, as authorized by the parent, for up to twelve hours.

Any child eight years or younger that rides the school bus home in the afternoon will need a parent or babysitter that is visible to
the bus driver, not in a vehicle or in the house. The babysitter or other designated adult must be registered with the school on the child’s emergency contact list. If the parent or babysitter is not at the designated stop when the bus arrives, the bus driver will radio the school so a parent can be contacted and the incident will be documented. The parent and/or babysitter will be allowed three incidents before action is taken.

After three documented incidents from the driver to the school the following protocol will occur:

Being at Bus Stop on Time in the Morning

All students are required to be at the bus stop five minutes prior to their designated pick up time. Students of all ages are expected to be waiting on the bus and should be at the bus stop five minutes prior to their pick up time. The student will be allowed three incidents before action is taken.

After three documented incidents from the driver to the bus shop, the following protocol will occur:

Alterations To Regular Transportation

When students make a change to their daily transportation pattern, a written notice from the parent/guardian with a phone number at which the parents can be reached is required. For example, if a student routinely rides the bus but will be picked up by a parent or someone else for a single day or several days, then a note would be required.

Riding Another Bus/Going Home with a Friend

Students are expected to ride the bus to which they have been assigned. Students wishing to ride another bus, such as to a friend’s or babysitter’s house, must follow these procedures:

1. Bring a written request from the parent/guardian with a phone number at which a parent can be reached to verify the request. If the parent cannot be reached to verify the note, the principal may choose to deny the request and the student will be sent home in the usual manner. Any student bringing a note that is not written by the parent/guardian will be subject to the disciplinary action associated with the policy on forgery. The physical address of where the student is to be dropped off must be included in the note.
2. Report to homeroom or class and present a note from their parent/guardian to the teacher. Notes will be verified and a Boarding Pass will be returned to the student.
3. Give the Boarding Pass to the bus driver as you board the bus. Students who fail to follow this procedure and whose notes cannot be verified with a call to the parents will not be allowed to leave school on other than their assigned bus.