Why is my child's bus late?
Weather, traffic, driver absenteeism, maintenance difficulties, and unforeseen incidents are responsible for
delays in the arrival of school buses in the morning and afternoon.
- Sometimes the bus routes must be doubled out or run as a second load to or from
the school due to the regular driver being absent.
- Traffic in the metro-Atlanta area is increasingly
complex.
- Drivers check buses before their routes and sometimes find mechanical problems
that can cause delays and require driving another bus for that day. This can cause the bus to be unpunctual.
Please know that we are doing everything humanly possible to have all buses running on schedule everyday.
In the event that your bus does not arrive as scheduled, please allow ten to thirty minutes before calling
the transportation office or the school. Top of page.
Why did you suspend my child from riding the bus?
Behavioral expectations on the school bus are much like those in the classroom.
Then, factor in the mobility of that "classroom" and traffic, added noise and the size of the
"classroom" and you have a potential catastrophe if there are not clear expectations and enforcement.
The behavioral expectations on the bus revolve around the individual rights of every person on the bus,
including the driver and the collective rights of students and driver as it pertains to SAFETY. Anything
that jeopardizes the safety of individuals on the bus is viewed as serious.
Most drivers have Bus rules or Expectations posted on the bus. When there is an infraction, a referral is turned
into the school administrators, who are responsible for contacting the student and parent to solve
the lack of compliance with bus expectations. The school
administrator is solely responsible for
consequences based on the incident as described by the driver and student. Most buses have video cameras,
which are used to verify incidents. Our goal is never to deny any student transportation to and from school,
but we must maintain safety for all students. Top of page.
Why can't you call when you know the bus will be late?
It is simply a numbers problem. There are as many 50-70 students on each bus. That is
at least 50-70 phone calls in a short time frame to parents who are quite possibly at the
bus stop with their children. It is just not feasible. Please know that there is a bus on the
way and that we will do everything humanly possible to transport your child to and from
school in a timely manner every day. If your scheduled bus is more than ten minutes late,
please allow for the time that it requires for the route to be driven as a second load. Top of page.
Why can't you come further into my sub-division?
School buses come in various sizes ranging from 25 to 36 feet long, 20,000-26,000 pounds,
12-13 feet high and 6-9 feet wide. The length is what limits the school bus to be
maneuvered in cul-de-sacs and tight places. Smaller buses can turn in a shorter radius, while
longer buses cannot maneuver the same circle without backing the bus, which is
avoided in routing if possible. Residents sometimes park trucks, boats, and trailers on the streets.
Children leave their bicycles, skateboards, and basketball backboards on the streets.
Although our drivers are trained to be able to parallel park their buses, some sub-divisions are not
designed with school bus transportation in mind. Please know that we will design school bus
routes to be safe and convenient to the majority of students within the limits of time and physics. Top of page.
Why does my child have a seat assignment?
Seat assignments are a positive way for the ride to be consistent and safe. It is also our
policy for elementary and middle school students to be assigned to a specific seat.
This aids the driver with discipline and learning each student's names at the beginning of the
school year. We trust our drivers to let us know when this policy is no longer effective. Top of page.
Why can't my child get off wherever they want in the afternoon?
To avoid multiple problems, the driver requires a note, signed by the parent and school administrator
to alter the destination of students. This allows the drivers to focus on driving and safety instead
of having to decide whether the student should be allowed to change their routine and get off with a friend
or ride to an entirely different neighborhood. This should be the decision of the parent. The
driver
has no other way to verify that the parent has made this decision. This policy avoids confusion
and the chance of students getting lost or running away. Top of page.
How do you decide when it is too dangerous for school buses to transport students
to school due to inclement weather? Who decides? How is the public notified?
The Superintendent of schools is responsible for the final decision to close schools due to inclement weather.
The decision is made after administrative staff report from various positions in the county regarding road conditions.
Other factors considered are school facility information (heat, water, power), school parking lot conditions,
temperature and wind chill, snow and ice build up on main and secondary roads and weather forecasts and predictions.
A decision will be made and the public will be notified by 5:30 AM. The following media sites will carry that
information to the public:
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