• Have children ready on time. This includes having them dressed, fed and everything they need ready to go with them.

• Lay out the clothes for the next day. Check that they have the coats and boots, etc. that they will need.
  

• Make lunches the night before and put in fridge.

• Gather bookbags and projects and put by door.

• Get them up in plenty of time to dress and eat. Some children need vast amounts of time to do this.

• Get them out the door in time to walk to the stop. They need lots of time for this.

• If you are the one that is making them late, follow the same tips.

• Put your childs name on everything! I give countless jackets, gloves, hats etc. to Goodwill or the Salvation Army because there is no name. If there is a name, I can give it to the child. The response is usually "Oh, yeh, I wondered where that went." They rarely ask if something is in lost and found. On my bus, I have no room to keep things and once it goes into the box at the garage, it is usually forgotten.
  
  
  
  
• Go over the rules. Even if they have never ridden a bus before, common courtesy will suffice for the first day. If you are concerned about it, call the transportation office and ask. They may be able to give you the rules or have you talk to the driver.

• Telling your children to ask the driver where to sit is fine.

• A little role playing about how to ask to share a seat or what to do if someone asks to share theirs will put them at ease when it happens.

• Please don't ask if your child can "sit up front". There are only two front seats, and unless there is a medical reason, these seats are usually already reserved. Some drivers (myself included) have seating charts made the first day. If your child is told to please sit in seat such and such, tell them to do it and they can ask to sit with their best friend later. The whole point of assigned seats is to give the children a destination when they get on the bus and to ensure that everyone has a seat. Drivers try to let friends and siblings sit together but it's not always possible.

• If they have too much to carry and put on their laps, then they need to be driven to school or other arrangements made. Large instrument cases are the most concern; a cello takes up a lot of room and the bus is for children.
  

• Please understand if the bus is a "no friends" bus. This just means that the bus usually carries a full load and there are no seats available for extra riders. Never assume that there will be room for a friend and all you need to do is send them home on another bus with a permission slip. Call transportation and check or ask the driver.

• Always send two notes with your child if they are to get off anywhere but their own stop. This includes the very next stop after yours or just around the corner. Two notes means that one is for the teacher and the second is in the backpack for the driver in case the teacher does not give the note back to the student. Better safe than have a mess because there is no permission.

• Please don't meet the driver at the stop to "ask one quick thing". There may be time and no traffic but you can't be sure and it's very annoying for motorists and can make the bus late for the rest of the run. Call transportation or write a note and have your child give it to the driver; then they can write or call you back.

• If you take your child to catch the bus, either to a stop or another pick up point, be early. It's really very bad to come sliding up to a stop just when the bus is supposed to leave or when all the other children are on and the door is closed or is closing. Move your time up-don't be the cause of your childrens' tardiness. Schedules must be maintained and this is the biggest problem. No matter how young or old your children are, it is up to you to see that they do it right. Some children need lots of help and some are so mature you can just check once in a while. Whichever personality your child has, you need to work with them until they can move along smoothly in this routine.
  

• Please support the driver. I know that occassionally there is a conflict and that is an issue best resolved by the head of the department. There are few things more annoying than sending home a discipline note and having the parents say that "Suzie's friends say it didn't happen this way" or " I don't see what the big deal is".

  Please understand that this is a moving vehicle and the driver needs to keep their eyes on the road and traffic and even if what your child did wasn't "bad", if it was distracting to the driver, then it is a safety violation. Period.
  That's the key phrase--- If it is distracting to the driver.

  Most of the time a child is just being a child, but in the bus the situation is different. I always say that I don't want them to be normal at all. I want them to be totally abnormal and sit still until I get them home!!!

  

I have always told my older, more verbal students that it is not a requirement to ride the bus--that if they really don't like it , they can get to school another way. But, if they ride the bus, they have to follow the rules. That's it; no discussion.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I have gone over things as they are in our district. They probably hold true for most other places, but please check before you get too concerned about something that just doesn't seem right to you. Cooperation is very much appreciated and when things go smoothly, it's better for all concerned.