(by Don Meador, Public Information Officer, Allen County Schools, July 31, 2018)
The start of
school on August 9 will see 40 Allen County School buses return to the roads of
Allen County. As the bus drivers start on a journey that will see the buses
travel 2,300 miles per day---and almost 450,000 miles per year--- Allen County
Schools Director of Transportation Roger Weaver notes that bus routes remain
the same but bus drivers have changed.
“We have changed a lot of drivers,” Weaver said. “We have 14 drivers who are driving different routes this year. Our routes have not really changed.”
One concern that Weaver is addressing will be the closure of Stewart Road during the month of August. Stewart Road is off of highway 98 near Durham Springs Church and is closed to traffic as part of the construction on Highway 98.
“We are going to have to make some adjustments there to route bus 18 round that,” Weaver said.
The transportation department will continue to follow policy and procedure when it comes to pick-up and drop off.
“Like it has been in the past, we need children at the bus stop five minutes before the scheduled pick up time,” Weaver said. “Parents are concerned when it’s very cold or pouring down rain. We will use common sense when it’s cold or pouring down raining. We don’t want a child to get sick.”
Parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to walk with their child to the bus stop each morning and remain with them until the bus has arrived. In the afternoon, the bus drivers have strict guidelines as to dropping kids off.
“If it’s a preschool or Primary Center student, we must see a parent or guardian or someone the driver recognizes out there or in sight to receive the child,” Weaver said. “If we don’t see someone, we cannot drop the child off.”
If a bus
drive finds no one at home---a requirement in every case for children in
preschool through the third grade----the driver will have a procedure to
follow. If the bus returns to the bus compound in Scottsville and passes back
by the home on the trip back to town, the driver will make a second attempt to
drop off the child. If no one is still at home, the driver will bring the child
back to school. If the bus does not pass back by the residence, the driver will
bring the child back to the school on their return to the compound. School
officials will hold the child until the parent/guardian arrives.
For drivers who do not return the bus to the compound at night, a designated rendezvous point and time can be arranged---arraignment made after the school makes contact with the parent’s child or guardian. If the parent/guardian is available at the rendezvous point, the child is released to their parent or guardian. If the parent/guardian is not at the designated point at the designated time, the driver will return the child to the school where the child will remain until the parent or guardian arrives at the school.
Weaver points out that parents and guardians should make every effort to be at home to receive the child as well as keep their child on a consistent schedule each day. If a child has to ride a different bus in the afternoon, the parent must contact the child’s school by 1:30. A note is prepared for the student to give to the bus driver. If a student does not have a bus note, he or she must ride their regularly scheduled bus.
The school district attempts to be as consistent as possible not only for afternoon drop-offs but morning pickups. Buses are normally within a minute of their pickup time each morning.
“It will take us a week and a half or maybe two weeks to get our times ironed out because drivers will have to adjust times based on new riders but after that, the time will be very consistent.”
Weaver explains that children preparing to get on the bus each morning should be focused on boarding the bus and not distracted by other children or electronic devices. In the afternoons, children should exit the bus and move quickly to the driveway.
“If a child has to cross the road to board the bus, make sure the child knows to make eye contact and wait for a signal from the driver to cross the road,” Weaver noted.
Motorists are advised to be attentive as the buses return to the streets and never pass a bus when the bus is unloading or loading children---not just on highways but in all parking lots as well. Motorists should also make a “mental note” that buses will be back on the roads. Allen County buses run routes from approximately 6 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. during the morning and from 3 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon, Monday through Friday every day that school is in session.
“We run buses on almost every road in the county so you could see a bus stopped anywhere,” Weaver explained. “Drivers need to be cautious.”
All students in
the District receive a yellow handout outlining the rules and regulation
regarding transportation. The pamphlet is to be carefully reviewed by the
parent/guardian with the child, signed by the parents, and returned to school.
“The pamphlets have a list of all the rules and a list of the consequences if you don’t follow the rules,” Weaver said. “I hope the kids realize that if they are acting up on a bus, that’s a distraction for the driver and a safety concern.”
The handout also contains safety tips including reminders about backpacks and drawstrings. Parents are reminded to get a backpack apportioned to their child’s height and to also make sure that all drawstrings on backpacks and coats are secure and cannot catch on bus doors.
Buses began arriving on the school campus around 7 each morning to start the unloading process. In the afternoon, the schools will dismiss and load buses the same way as when the school year ended in May. Students first load at the James E. Bazzell Middle School, then the Allen County-Scottsville High School, followed by the Allen County Intermediate Center with the Allen County Primary Center being the last location to load.
Allen County bus drivers are continually reviewing safety procedures and undergoing training each year.
“Our drivers have to do an eight-hour in-service every year and pass a physical every year,” Weaver said. “To become a bus driver, someone has to have 33 hours of classroom and driving training plus passing a driver’s test. It’s no easy task to become a driver.”
Officers with the Scottsville Police Department, Allen County Sheriff’s Office, and Allen County constables will be stationed on the New Gallatin Road to direct drop-off traffic in the mornings and pick-up traffic in the afternoon. The school zones have a 25-mph speed limit---with flashing warning lights---during the posted time frame. The drop-off and pick-up traffic patterns remain the same for all schools as when school ended in May. Motorists on the school campus---at any time--- are reminded to observe the posted 15-mph speed limits.
Parents or guardians who are unsure of what bus their child will ride, the driver, the approximate pick up or drop off times, or additional questions, can call Weaver at the Allen County Board of Education at 270-618-3181.
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