JOHN S. CLARKE ELEMENTARY CENTER BUS INFORMATION Riding the school bus is a privilege afforded by the Pottsville Area School District. Riding the school bus is not a student right. Proper bus safety and bus conduct are extremely important. In order to ensure the safety of all children riding the school bus, we must insist that each and every child adhere to the following bus rules: 1. Be on time at designated bus stop. 2. Stand on sidewalk at all times while waiting for the bus. 3. Stay off private property near the bus stop. 4. Obey the crossing guard. 5. Fighting, punching, slapping, kicking, or hitting with book bags, both at the bus stop and on the bus, is strictly prohibited. 6. Do not move toward the bus until the bus comes to a complete stop. 7. Enter the bus by walking in a single line. 8. Remain seated on the bus at all times. 9. Keep hands inside the windows at all times. 10. Do not eat or chew gum on the bus. 11. Do not fight or annoy other children. 12. Do not shout or use bad words/language. 13. Do not throw anything. 14. Walk, not run, when getting off the bus. 15. Always obey the bus driver.
JOHN S. CLARKE ELEMENTARY CENTER BUS DISCIPLINE For misconduct on the bus or at the bus stop, the following penalties apply: 1. First Offense The student will receive a verbal reprimand by a building administrator and a written report/warning will be sent to the parents. 2. Second Offense The student will receive a verbal reprimand by a building administrator, he/she may be assigned to detention, and a written report/warning will be sent to the parents. 3. Third Offense The student will receive a verbal reprimand by a building administrator, his/her privileges will be suspended for three (3) days, and a written report/warning will be sent to the parents. 4. Beyond Third Offense The student will receive a verbal reprimand by a building administrator, his /her bus privileges will be suspended for from five (5) days to an indefinite period of time, a report/warning will be sent to the parents, and a parent/administrator conference will be held, prior to the student s bus privilege being restored. *Serious offenses may result in more serious discipline, including an immediate suspension of bus privileges. Any change in the child s usual bus routine must have proper authorization from a school official. Parents are requested to send a note if the child is not going to return home on the school bus. Otherwise the child must take the bus. Sufficient time is given for a child to walk from his/her classroom to the bus lobby and then board the bus for the trip home at dismissal. However, because of loitering in the hallways, stopping to talk to friends, taking the longest way possible to get from the classroom to the bus lobby,etc., students may arrive at the bus lobby after their bus has departed. This necessitates the District providing a separate vehicle and driver to take the student home. When this occurs, the parents will be called and they will be responsible for coming to the school to take the child home. The District will not provide individual, personal transportation to children who repeatedly miss the school bus.
1 POTTSVILLE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT STUDENT TRANSPORTATION POLICY STUDENTS The following outlines what is expected of all students who ride any Pottsville Area School Bus. The following Rules and Guidelines would apply to all Public and Non-Public School Children alike. 1. Behavior on School Buses & Vans Because the driver must keep his or her attention upon the highway and the operation of his or her vehicle, the driver cannot jeopardize the safety of all students riding the bus because of the behavior of a few. Therefore, the following regulations shall be strictly enforced: a. No student shall throw, shoot squirt guns, or otherwise impel any paper, metal, or other substance in or around the school bus. b. No student shall use loud or profane language in or around the school bus. c. No student shall indulge in pushing, fighting, or other unruly behavior in or around the school bus. d. No student shall deliberately disobey, abuse, or otherwise show disrespect for the driver or the vehicle. e. All students shall remain seated at all times while on the bus, keeping the aisle clear. f. Students shall not raise or lower the windows at any time without first receiving permission from the driver. Students shall not throw anything out of the bus window. Students shall always keep hands, heads and arms inside the bus at all times. g. No student shall deliberately mar, deface or tamper with any part of the vehicle (bus). Damage will be paid for by the individual.
2 h. There shall be no smoking in or around any school vehicle at any time. Lighting of matches in or around a school vehicle is prohibited. i. There shall be no drinking of soda, milk, or any other beverage on the bus unless permitted by the driver. Privileges previously granted, may be revoked by the driver. j. There shall be no littering from the vehicle or in the vehicle. Students are not to throw paper or debris on the floor of the bus. k. Students shall be courteous to fellow pupils and driver. l. The driver has similar authority in the vehicle as the teacher in the class-room. Student Rights and Responsibility Policy 1. POLICY a. While the law permits the School District to furnish transportation, it does not relieve parents of students from exercising responsibility and supervision until such time as the child boards the bus in the morning and after the child leaves the bus at the end of the school day. b. Pupils must be at the bus stop no less than five (5) minutes nor more than ten (10) minutes before the scheduled bus arrival time. If the school bus does not arrive at the bus stop on time because of mechanical failure, road or weather conditions, the pupil is expected to wait a reasonable length of time ( at least 1/2 hour in inclement weather) then return to his/her home and contact the school. Whether the school bus is on time or late, the bus will not stop if there is no indication of pupils being at that stop. 2. Behavior at the Bus Stop a. Students should go directly from home to the bus stop using good safety practices when walking in areas where sidewalks are not provided. b. Students should arrive at the bus stop no earlier than (10) minutes before their bus is scheduled to arrive
3 (parents should be made aware of this rule and be encouraged to cooperate). c. Students should remain in the designated waiting areas, paying very special attention to the rights of property owners in the vicinity. d. Students, as they arrive at the bus stop, should get in line, wait a reasonable and safe distance from the roadway, and use the concept of good school and community citizenship while waiting for the bus. e. Students should board the bus in a quiet, orderly manner, taking their seats immediately. f. When leaving the bus, students should exit the bus in a quiet, orderly manner and proceed directly to their home or to their assigned areas at school. 3. Responsibility of Students to the Bus Driver a. The bus driver, as an employee of the School District, is responsible for the safety of the students on their bus, and as such, deserves the same respect and cooperation as the teacher in the classroom. b. Reasonable requests from the bus driver are to be honored by the students without question. c. In considering the bus to be an extension of the classroom, the students shall be required to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with established standards for the classroom behavior policies. d. Children who become a serious disciplinary problem on the bus may have their riding privileges suspended. In such cases, the parents of the children involved become responsible for seeing that their children get to and from school safely. 4. Discipline Policy and Procedures a. Pupils transported in a school bus or vehicle shall be under the authority of and responsible to the driver of the bus from the point of pick-up to the point of discharge and at all designated loading and unloading locations within the Pottsville Area School District. The driver of
4 any school bus may, within reason, be held responsible for the orderly conduct of the pupils transported. Disorderly conduct or refusal to submit to the authority of the driver shall be sufficient reason for the pupil to be denied transportation in accordance with the following: b. No driver shall require any pupil to leave the bus before such pupil has reached his/her destination. c. If a disciplinary incident should occur on the homeward trip, the driver will transport the student to his/her destination and to school the next day, or the driver may return the bus to the point of origin, when in the judgement of the driver, that the conduct of a student jeopardizes the safe operation of the bus, or the vehicle itself is in danger of damage by a student on or off the bus. d. When a disciplinary incident has occurred in or around the bus, the driver may request the student who has committed an offense to remain on the bus until all other students have disembarked. e. The driver may warn the student of his/her improper behavior and what will happen next time. f. The driver may submit a "School Bus Incident Report" as either a warning or first offense for the first incident. The driver may or may not inform the student that he/she is submitting the report. g. The driver may escort the student to the building administrator's office attended by the student to file the "School Bus Incident Report."