Riding the Bus - MCE Handbook

  • Riding the Bus

    School bus transportation is provided by the Pittsford Transportation Department, whose office is located across the parking lot from MCE. Bus drivers are in constant two-way communication with dispatchers at the Transportation Office, who may be reached in the event of an emergency or problem at 267-1480.

    Some of the department’s regulations and policies are noted below. Further information is provided in the Student Transportation Parent Handbook, which is distributed near the beginning of the school year and is also available in the Transportation section of the district’s website, www.pittsfordschools.org.

    General Information

    Near the end of summer vacation, you will receive a mailing noting your child’s bus number and pick-up and drop-off times. It would be helpful if you would label your child’s backpack with his or her bus number to and from school.

     

    During the first week of school, teachers will accompany their classes to the loading area after school and supervise them until the buses leave. Throughout the year, teachers on duty will remain with students until the buses have departed. Student safety patrol members selected from our fifth graders also help maintain order.

    When A Student Is Not Dropped Off
    If a driver senses that it may not be safe for a child to be left at a stop (e.g., if it appears that there is no one home to receive the child, or if there is an unknown or suspicious adult in the vicinity), the child will be kept on board the bus and the driver will notify the dispatch office. The dispatcher will then attempt to contact the parent/guardian and will notify the MCE office that the child is being returned to school.

    Since it is often difficult for a driver to tell if someone is home, the Transportation Office suggests you set up a signal (open garage door, light on, etc.) with the driver that verifies that you are home. It is also a good idea to send the Transportation Office a written note in the beginning of the year, detailing which neighbors are authorized to meet your child in your absence.

    Child Care Transportation
    If you have made arrangements for your child to attend day care before or after school, you will need to make alternative transportation arrangements directly with the Transportation Department through the use of their “Day Care Form.”  This form, to be used when your child is to be dropped off at a location other than your home on a regular basis, should be filed with the Transportation Department each year by August 1.  If your family’s daycare needs change during the school year, you must file new forms with the department. Forms are available through the Transportation Department or may be downloaded from the Transportation section of the district’s website, www.pittsfordschools.org.

    The Safe-Rider Program
    Several times a year, teams of bus drivers meet with individual classes in grades K-3 to reinforce the School Bus Code of Conduct, to talk about seasonal hazards, and to practice safe street crossing and such emergency procedures as exiting through the side windows and back doors.  Please note that the children are taught to wait for their bus driver’s signal to cross the street, and that you should not interfere with this process. It is also important that you remember to cut off any strings or straps on clothing or backpacks that could get caught on/in the bus door.

    School Bus Code of Conduct
    Please encourage your child to observe the following rules they learn for riding the bus:

    1.  Observe the same conduct as in your classroom.
    2.  Be courteous, use no profane language.
    3.  Do NOT eat or drink on the bus.
    4.  Keep the bus clean.
    5.  Cooperate with the driver.
    6.  Do not smoke.
    7.  Do not be destructive.
    8.  Stay in your seat.
    9.  Keep head, hands, feet and personal belongings inside the bus at all times.
    10. The Bus Driver is authorized to assign seats.