Dear Parent/Guardian:
We are pleased to be transporting your child to and from school. We are very proud of the safety record of our school buses and the professionalism of our transportation team.
It will be nearly impossible to give an accurate time to expect the bus, until after the first week of school. What we can tell you is that the elementary buses will depart for routes each morning at 6:00am and will be done with routes and dropping off at the elementary school by 7:20am. Therefore, if your child is going to be a bus rider, he or she should be outside waiting at the designated bus stop for the bus where the driver can clearly see them.
Jr. high and high school buses will depart from the elementary schools around 7:30 am and will drop off at the schools by 8:15 am. Again, students should wait at the designated bus stop or outside where the driver can see them.
We realize that there will be a long wait outside for some students before the bus arrives. However, after the first couple of days, parents should have a good idea of what time the bus will arrive.
Please help us ensure your child’s safety by following these simple but important
procedures:
*Provide your child with a backpack or book bag. Loose papers or other items are dangerous as children get off the bus.
*Check your child’s clothing for the presence of long drawstrings or other dangling items. Long drawstrings or other dangling items could get snagged in the bus door as the child gets off the bus, and should be removed from clothing.
*Make sure your child arrives at the designated bus stop ten minutes early each day. Children who are late for the bus may panic and chase it, or run into the road.
*Insist that your child wait for the bus safely in an orderly fashion, back from the roadway. Behavior problems at the bus stop can create hazardous conditions for children.
*When the bus arrives, your child should wait for the bus driver’s signal before boarding. Children should board in single file.
*Teach your child to sit quietly on the ride to and from school. Behavior problems could distract the bus driver and result in an accident.
It is important that our drivers are able to concentrate on driving the route safely. If anything makes your child feel unsafe at the bus stop or on the bus ride, please contact us at the transportation department, rather than trying to discuss it at the bus stop.
We are deeply committed to the safety of your child as well as all our community’s children.
Thank you!
VWSD Transportation Department
