Procedure 6605 - Student Safety - Walking, Biking and Riding Buses

Student Conduct on Buses

Any misconduct by a student, which in the opinion of the bus driver or Director of Transportation, is detrimental to the safe operation of the bus will be sufficient cause for the Director of Transportation and/or principal to suspend the transportation privilege. 

Rules of conduct for students riding buses: 

A. Students will obey the driver and any aide assigned to the bus by the district. The driver is in full charge of the bus and passengers and will be obeyed. When transporting classes or teams, the teacher or coach will assist with the responsibility for the behavior of the students. Students will obey both the driver and the teacher, coach or other staff member. 

B. Students will ride only on their assigned bus unless written permission to do otherwise has been received by school officials on the designated district-wide standard written bus pass. 

C. Students will not be permitted to leave the bus except at their regular stop unless written permission to do otherwise is received by school officials. 

D. Students assigned seats will use only that seat unless permission to change is authorized by the driver. 

E. Students will observe rules of classroom conduct while riding on buses. Noise will be kept down to avoid distracting the driver. Students will not use obscene language or gestures. 

F. Students will not smoke or ignite lighters or matches on buses. Use of nicotine and tobacco products or vaping devices is strictly prohibited. 

G. Students will not eat on buses, except when specifically authorized and supervised by and accompanying teacher, coach or other staff member. Buses will be kept clean. 

H. Students will not open bus windows without the driver's permission. 

I. Students will not extend any part of their body out of bus windows at any time. 

J. Students will not carry or have in their possession items that can cause injury to passengers on the bus. Such items include, but are not limited to, sticks, breakable containers, weapons or firearms, straps or pins protruding from clothing, large, bulky items which cannot be held or placed between legs, etc. Books and personal belongings will be kept out of aisles. 

K. Students will not have any form of animal life on buses, except for a service animal. 

L. Students will not sit in the driver's seat or to the immediate right of the driver. 

M. Students will refrain from talking to the driver unless necessary. 

N. Students will go directly to a seat once inside the bus and always remain seated unless the driver instructs otherwise. 

O. Students will get on/off the bus in an orderly manner and will obey the instructions of the driver or other school staff. There will be no pushing and shoving when boarding or leaving the bus. Once off the bus, students will adhere to rules for pedestrians. 

P. Students will never cross the roadway behind a bus. Once students disembark the bus, they may use traffic lights and/or crosswalks (when available) to cross the roadway. 

Q. Students will stand 10 feet away when sufficient space from the roadway curb is available when any bus is approaching or leaving a stop. 

R. Students going to and from their bus stops where there are no sidewalks will walk on the left-hand side of the roadway facing oncoming traffic. Students will go directly to their home after leaving the bus. 

S. If equipped, students are required to use lap/seat belts. 

T. Students will follow emergency exit drill procedures as instructed by the driver. 

U. Students will not tamper with emergency doors, audio visual equipment, or other safety equipment. 

V. Students will remain quietly seated, not exhibit disruptive behavior, and turn off all noise-making devices at highway rail grade crossings. 

W. Parents of students identified as causing damage to buses will be charged with the cost of the incurred damage. Students causing the damage may be suspended from transportation. 

X. Student misconduct will constitute sufficient reason for suspending transportation privileges. 

Disciplinary Procedures

The Director of Transportation and/or principals are responsible for correcting students whose abusive behavior results in a bus-incident report or violates the rules above. School staff will provide supervision during bus arrival and departure times and receive reports (written and oral) from the drivers. 

Principals must maintain open lines of communication among school officials, bus drivers and the transportation department. 

When waiting for a bus, or going to and from a bus stop, students are responsible for conducting themselves according to the social and legal mores that apply to adults in public. That is, they must not abuse or cause damage to private or public property; they must not use obscene language or gestures; and they must not engage in criminal activity. Failure to adhere to these standards may result in formal complaints by citizens which may be forwarded to the Transportation Department and/or school administration for corrective action. 

Students provided with transportation are responsible for complying with the district's rules of conduct for students riding buses. Failure to adhere to these rules, or abusive behavior towards the public, driver, fellow passengers or the vehicle constitutes justification for initiating corrective action against a student. 

Abusive behavior on the part of a student riding a bus may result in a written report when, in the opinion of the driver or Director of Transportation, there has been an infraction of the rules applicable to student conduct. The written report is the primary means by which a driver or Director of Transportation communicates a student's conduct to the school and transportation department. This report, in most cases, reflects an infraction of rules which is repeated by the student after his/her having received previous oral warnings from the driver or Director of Transportation. 

When a student's conduct constitutes an infraction of the rules, the driver or Director of Transportation will complete a report on the student describing the incident or damage that occurred. 

The Director of Transportation or principal upon receiving the report will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and take action according to the procedures set forth in the district’s policies pertaining to corrective action. When investigating the incident, the primary concern must be with respect to the safe transportation of students. Corrective action, if necessary, should be consistent throughout the district as follows: 

A. Warning: When a student’s misconduct is of a minor nature which does not jeopardize the safety or welfare of other students or the operation of the bus. 

B. Suspension: When a student’s misconduct is deemed to jeopardize the safety of bus passengers and operation, or when repeated warning notices fail to correct behavior, or when a student causes damage to the bus. 

C. Expulsion: When a student's misconduct is of such nature that the safety of the bus operation and/or of the occupants was willfully and seriously threatened (i.e., e.g. student assaulting the driver). 

The action taken by the Director of Transportation or principal will be annotated on the report and forwarded to the student's parent for signature. 

Drivers will be advised to file assault and battery charges against students who physically assault them. Under no circumstances will the driver retaliate in kind and physically assault the student as this conduct may subject him/her to legal action. 

The student or parent of a student who has been suspended from receiving transportation may appeal the decision by submitting a written statement to the superintendent or their designee. The superintendent or their designee will render a decision after evaluating the issues and facts involved. 

Emergencies

The Director of Transportation will review the contents of the School Bus Driver's Handbook with each driver prior to the beginning of each school year. Each driver, in turn, is expected to follow the procedure as outlined in the handbook. At the start of each field trip or extracurricular trip, the school bus driver will review with all passengers the location and use of the emergency exits, emergency equipment and any district emergency procedures. 

In the event of a collision, the driver will contact the Transportation’s dispatch staff member who will: 

A. Determine the nature of the collision; 

B. Contact emergency services if there is reason to believe that there are injuries which require immediate attention; 

C. Contact the state patrol regarding the accident; 

D. Advise the superintendent of schools; 

E. Investigate the collision and gather the names of all students and witnesses; 

F. Dispatch another bus to transport the student to their destination; and 

G. Contact the parent(s) or guardian(s) of any students who are injured. 

To facilitate the responsibilities assigned to the transportation department, the Director of Transportation, in cooperation with the building principals, will compile a list of students, including addresses and phone numbers that are authorized to ride each bus route. 

Adoption: