YOUR STUDENT’S SAFETY

IS OUR BUSINESS

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

 

TOLL FREE (855) 373-4758

 

HEMET UNIFIED: (951) 765-5100 EXT. 5880

 

PERRIS UNION: (951) 943-6640

 

SAN JACINTO UNIFIED:  (951) 929-7700 EXT. 4410

 

PERRIS ELEMENTARY:  (951) 943-6640

 

VAL VERDE UNIFIED:  (951) 943-6640

 

ROMOLAND:  (951) 943-6640

 

LOS ANGELES:  (626) 453-3763

 

BELLFLOWER: (562) 804-6503

 

QUESTIONS and  ANSWERS REGARDING

SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION

 

Who may ride a school bus?

For Hemet Unified School District:  Students in grades K—5 who live more than 2 miles  from their school of attendance, and students in grades 6-12 who live more than 4.5 miles from their school of attendance.

For San Jacinto Unified School District:  Students in grades K—5 who live more than 2 miles  from their school of attendance, and students in grades 6-12 who live more than 5 miles from their school of attendance.

For Perris Union High School District:  Students in grades 6 - 8 who live more than 3 miles from their school of attendance, and students in grades 9—12 who live more than 5 miles from their school of attendance.

For Perris Elementary School District:  Students in grades K—5 who live more than 2.5 miles from their school of attendance.

 

Will an elementary school student be dropped off at the bus stop if no adult is there to meet them?

Only KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS are required to have a designated person at the bus stop to receive them. Parents of kindergarten students may sign a waiver that allows the kindergartner to walk home unattended or to be picked up by someone else. This form may be obtained from your bus driver.  All students grades 1 through 12 need not have a designated person to receive them at the bus stop and will be dropped off at the bus stop without an adult there to meet them.

What happens if there is no one to receive a kindergarten student at the bus stop?

Kindergarten students will be returned to their school of attendance. It will then be the parent’s responsibility to pick up the student(s) from the school site. Future transportation privileges may be suspended if a student is returned to school.

When I’m present at my child’s bus stop, may I walk my child across the street without the school bus driver’s assistance?

NO. California law dictates that all students in grades K through 8 MUST be escorted across the street by their school bus driver, even if the child’s parent is present.

What type of communication does the Transportation Department have with the bus driver when they are transporting students?

All district buses are radio equipped. Radios are expressly used for the safety of students and to determine the whereabouts of a bus or student.

 

How are the bus routes designed?

Routes are designed for safety, efficiency and the conservation of time.

Are school buses safe?

All school buses must be certified by the Motor Carrier Division of the California Highway Patrol annually. Additionally the transportation terminal is inspected annually by the Motor Carrier Division to ensure that the buses are maintained according to state established standards and an approved, documented maintenance program is in place.

How are school bus drivers trained?

All drivers must be certified by the California Highway Patrol. Prior to certification the driver must successfully complete a medical examination, complete a minimum of twenty hours of classroom training, complete a minimum of twenty hours of behind the wheel training, and pass a fingerprint and background check.  All drivers must also complete ten hours of in service training each year. Drivers must renew their school bus certificate every 5 years.  Additionally, the Transportation Department receives notification from the DMV if any action is taken on the license of a school bus driver.

Transportation bus riders discipline procedures:

The student shall be warned verbally for the first infraction unless the infraction is of an unusually severe nature.  Normally, bus drivers verbally warn students in regards to any misbehavior.  Another tool at the bus driver’s disposal is to assign seats for any misbehaving student.  If a student’s behavior does not improve, further steps are taken to insure compliance.  These steps are:

First Offense: Student will be called into the school office and will be counseled and cautioned about his/her unsatisfactory behavior.   A written bus ticket warning will be issued to the student.  The warning ticket must be signed by a parent and returned to the bus driver.

Second Offense: Student will be called into the school office. Parents may be called and informed of the student’s unacceptable behavior. They will further be informed that the student’s bus transportation privilege may be suspended for a period of time.  The student will be issued a bus ticket which must be signed by a parent and returned to the bus driver.

Third/Fourth Offense: Student will be called into the school office and informed that his/her transportation privilege has been suspended.  The duration of transportation suspension will be at the discretion of the Principal, Assistant Principal, with consultation rights retained by the Transportation Department and will depend on the severity of the unacceptable behavior.   A bus ticket will be issued to the student which must be signed by a parent and returned to the bus driver.

After Third/Fourth Offense: After the third/fourth offense of unsatisfactory conduct has been written on a student, and action has been taken, offense number 5, 6, etc., shall result in time off the bus.  Depending on the severity of the conduct, it is possible to have transportation privileges revoked for the remainder of the school year.

If student’s bus privileges are suspended on one bus, that suspension will be for all buses to and from school.

 

S.B. 1072

The Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law

In accordance with Education Code § 39831.3(a)(4), the Transportation Department deploys the following departmental policy to ensure students are not left unattended on a school bus:  

 

After each run (this means at each school site in the morning and after the last stop for each school in the mid-day and the PM) all drivers will physically walk to the rear of the bus and check each row of seats to ensure that there are NO STUDENTS still on board. This bus check shall include looking under the bus seats.

 

Upon returning to the Transportation facility drivers will once again physically walk to the rear of the bus and check each row of seats to ensure that there are NO STUDENTS still on board.  This bus check shall include looking under the bus seats. Drivers will press the Child Check deactivation button located at the rear of the bus by the back window.

 

Unsafe Driving

Conditions

 

Should the Director of Transportation, or designee, feel that it would endanger the passengers, the driver, or the equipment, transportation will cease until such condition improves.

 

Vehicle Code 34501.6 states:  The governing board of a local educational agency that provides transportation of pupils shall adopt procedures that limit the operation of school buses when atmospheric conditions reduce visibility on the roadway to 200 feet or less during regular home-to-school transportation service.  Operational policies for school activity trips shall give school bus drivers discretionary authority to discontinue school bus operation if the driver determines that it is unsafe to continue operation because of reduced visibility.

 

The Director of Transportation, or designee, shall notify the schools by phone if the above conditions exist.

 

Speed:  Section 22406 of the California Vehicle Code specifies a maximum speed of 55 miles per hour for any vehicle that transports school pupils.  This and other regulations concerning speed restrictions must be adhered to.  Maximum speed for bus drivers will be 55 miles per hour.  Speed should be significantly reduced at curves, blind crossings, crests of hills, in fog, or whenever the view is otherwise obstructed so that a stop may be made within the distance of clear vision.

 

BUS CONDUCT / SAFETY RULES

The Transportation Department provides bus transportation for its students in accordance with the provisions on the California Education Code. In order to provide this service with maximum safety, all students must understand that the bus driver is in complete charge and control of the bus. School bus drivers have a tremendous responsibility entrusted upon them, and it is important that they have your child’s cooperation as well as your cooperation in following the bus rules to ensure that their ride is a safe and enjoyable one.

 

California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 14263 governing pupil transportation states: “Pupils transported in a school bus shall be under the authority of, and responsible directly to, the driver of the bus, and the driver shall be held responsible for the orderly conduct of the pupils while they are on the bus or being escorted across a street, highway or road. Continued disorderly conduct or persistent refusal to submit to the authority of the driver shall be sufficient reason for a pupil to be denied transportation”.

 

School bus rules of conduct are established first and foremost to ensure that all students have a safe ride to and from home. The school bus is an extension of the classroom, and appropriate behavior is expected at all times. For those who are unable to follow the established rules, a series of sanctions are applied that are appropriate to the offense. Remember, riding the school bus is a PRIVILEGE—NOT A RIGHT.

 

1. Please arrive at the assigned pick-up point at least five (5) minutes, but not more than ten (10) minutes, before the bus is due to arrive. When your child rushes to catch the bus, he or she may be careless when crossing the street or approaching the bus.

2. Students are required to use their assigned bus stop each day. No  student is permitted to ride any other bus to a friend's house,  a music lesson, a scout meeting, etc., or to a different stop.

3. Students are to respect the property at the bus stop and conduct themselves in an orderly manner while waiting for the bus. As the bus arrives, students must stand in a single file line, stand at least twelve (12) feet back from the bus door, and not move toward the bus until it has come to a complete stop and the driver has opened the bus door. Student conduct at the bus stop should be the same as required on school grounds.  Actions such as  littering, spitting, throwing any object, vandalism, pushing, shoving, smoking, and harassment of others will not be tolerated.

4. As required by VC 22112, when students need to cross a street or private road upon which the school bus is stopped, the driver shall activate the flashing red light system. When safe to do so, the driver of the school bus is required by law to escort students in grades K through 8 across the street using a hand-held stop sign. The driver, when ready to disembark the bus, will be the first to exit, regardless of whether a student in front of the line needs to cross. Students who need to cross the roadway will wait in front of and to the right of the bus where they can see the driver and the driver can see them. Students shall always cross the street in front of the bus, but NOT until they have been instructed, with verbal commands, to do so by the bus driver. Students will walk, not run, completely across the roadway  and continue moving away from the roadway. If the student has forgotten anything on the bus or has dropped something in the roadway THEY ARE TO TELL THE DRIVER. THEY ARE NOT TO RUN BACK INTO THE ROADWAY ONCE THEY HAVE CROSSED THE ROADWAY. The students who do not cross the roadway will exit and move away from the bus.  Failure to follow these rules, in accordance with California State law, will be issued a bus ticket.

5. Students shall fasten any passenger restraint systems and keep them fastened during the entire bus ride.

6. The bus driver will determine the order of a student’s entrance and seating aboard the bus. Once aboard the bus, students are to find their seats quickly and remain seated at all times facing front while the bus is in motion. They are to stay seated until the bus comes to a FULL AND COMPLETE STOP.  The bus driver has the right to assign seats as they determine necessary.  Failure of the student to sit where assigned will result in a bus ticket.

7. Orderly behavior is required while aboard the bus. Abusive body contact (fighting, slapping, hitting, poking, shoving, etc.) is not permitted. Students are to talk quietly. Shouting, yelling, boisterous behavior, horseplay, profane language, obscene gestures, or any unnecessary noise may distract the attention of the driver and therefore is prohibited for the safety of all passengers.

8. Students are to keep all parts of their body inside the bus at all times. Littering the bus, vandalism, or throwing anything on or out of the bus will not be permitted. Parents will be charged for any damages to the bus.

9. Eating, drinking, and gum-chewing are not allowed on the bus. NO smoking is allowed on the bus at any time.

10. Animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, etc.), unprotected glass containers, skateboards, aerosol cans of any type, matches, lighters, radios, dangerous objects such as knives, scissors,  guns, or alcoholic beverages and drugs may NOT be carried aboard the bus.

11. Students must never open, close, or tamper with any part of the bus or its equipment, unless specifically instructed to do so by the driver. Students are to stay out of the driver’s compartment unless the driver is present or an emergency requires a student to secure the bus.   Students must not block the aisle or emergency exits with their body or personal belongings.

12. Students may bring electronic devices onto the bus ONLY if those items are permitted at school.  Students may use cellular phones or similar devices only if they do not disrupt the safe operation of the school bus.

13. All students in Kindergarten and grades 1 through 12 who are transported in a school bus or school activity bus shall receive instruction in school bus emergency procedures once per school year.

14. At least once each school year, all students in Kindergarten through grade 8 inclusive who receive home to school transportation shall receive safety instruction which includes, but not limited to, proper loading and unloading procedures, escorting by the driver, proper passenger conduct, bus evacuation, location of emergency equipment, responsibilities of passengers seated next to an emergency exit, and practice the procedures to evacuate the school bus through emergency exit doors, NOT THE FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR!

15. Students must observe safe walking habits and be alert for traffic on their way to and from their bus stop. Whenever students cross any streets, they must remember to stop, listen, look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Students shall cross all streets by utilizing crosswalks and/or traffic signals.  Students should NOT talk to strangers or accept rides from strangers. When leaving the bus, students are to stay out of the DANGER ZONE!

16. The “DANGER ZONE” is the space around the school bus. It radiates out from the school bus by 12 feet. The school bus driver cannot see students in these zones. Students are to move away from the bus door quickly and stay clear of the wheels. They ARE NOT to go after anything that rolls or falls under or in front of the bus—they are to TELL the driver about it. Never reach back into the bus through the window.

 

Thank you for reading and understanding the information included in this pamphlet.  Please discuss this information with your student.  Please understand that your student will be responsible for abiding by the bus rules. Please be aware that your student’s transportation privileges may be revoked for failure to follow the information included in this pamphlet.

 

 

PARENTS…..

PLEASE BE AWARE BUSES

MAY BE EQUIPPED

WITH VIDEO SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS!