School Bus Safety - Tips for Parents

As parents, you are an important part of the total safety awareness program for students who travel to and from school by bus. Students can benefit from learning to become safe pedestrians and passengers.

Here's how you can help:

Allow enough time in the morning for unhurried, calm school preparation time.
Prepare as much as possible the night before.
Have your children wear bright, contrasting colored coats or put a piece of high visibility, reflective tape on coats and backpacks.
Help your children to leave on time. Allow for weather and plan to arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes before the scheduled pickup time.
Go with your children to the bus stop.
Tell your children to walk in groups, if possible.
Please train pets to stay in the yard, away from bus traffic.
Remind your children to walk on the sidewalks or out of the street, single file, facing traffic, and as close to the edge of the road as possible.
Teach your children to stop, look left, right, and then left again before crossing the street.
Running games, shoving, or horseplay is too dangerous at the bus stop and around traffic.
Tell your children to stand 15 feet (nine GIANT STEPS) away from the street when waiting for the bus.
Regardless of weather conditions, students should be standing at the designated stop when the bus arrives.
If anything is dropped during loading or unloading the bus, children tell the bus driver before attempting to retrieve it.
Encourage your children to secure loose drawstrings or other objects that may get caught in the handrail or door of the bus as they exit.
If transportation other than the assigned bus is desired, parents are responsible for making other accomodations, due to space limitations, assigned seating and accountability.
Six feet on either side and 10 feet in front of the bus are considered the Danger Zone. This is the area most difficult to SEE children around the school bus. Remind your children about the Danger Zone often.
Instruct your children to STOP and look before hurrying away from the bus as they exit at the end of the day.
When you meet your child at the bus stop after school, wait on the side where the child will be dropped off.
Any person who enters a public school bus without authorization, or who willfully stops, impedes, delays or detains a public school or activity bus shall be guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.