From the Superintendent’s Desk

Help keep students, bus drivers safe while traveling

Transportation safety comes up in our school safety discussions and I wanted to provide some clarity in how all drivers should respond when they come upon a school bus while traveling through the community.

• When Yellow lights are flashing: Be prepared to stop.

• When Red lights are flashing: STOP, no closer than 20 feet from the bus.
• When Red lights are turned off: Proceed with caution.
• When Yellow hazard warning lights are flashing: Proceed with caution.

Bus drivers conduct bus evacuation drills three times per year to make sure that students know how to exit a bus quickly, if the need arises. Bus drivers and students practice evacuating from both the front and rear of the bus.

In situations where a bus is disabled and unable to continue the normal bus run because of mechanical failure, being stuck, or other issues that require an alternative vehicle for transportation, another bus will be dispatched. Many times a bus already on a run near the disabled bus will be dispatched to support the need. This delay only may be a few minutes.

If this is not possible, or it is early in the route and there is no room on the closest bus, the transportation department will dispatch another bus from the spares that are kept in reserve. In these situations, the delay may be 15 minutes or a little longer. There is an employee in the transportation office who is licensed to drive a bus and can deliver a replacement bus in just such emergencies. Please do not go to pick up your student/s because this can create more significant safety issues.

If a situation arises that causes a significant delay in the bus drop-off times, the transportation department has the capability to notify the families of the students riding on the bus that the students may be arriving home late.

Please help us by following the listed rules above to help keep all of our students and drivers safe as they travel to and from school. Thank you for your support.

Brian Friddle
Superintendent of Schools