School beginning on August 5 will see 40 Allen County School buses return to the roads of Allen County. As the bus drivers start a journey of almost 450,000 miles, Allen County Schools Director of Transportation Wendell Spears points out that very few changes are have occurred in the district’s transportation plan.
“With our routes, we are starting the year as we finished last year,” Spears said. “All routes will be the same. We will have a few drivers that have changed busses but the routes remain the same.”
Spears asks parents to make sure their child is at the bus stop on time each day.
“The main thing for all parents in the morning is to have their child at the bus stop five minutes before the bus arrives,” Spears explained. ”We will be a little out of whack the first few days of school but by the end of the week we will be down to within a minute as to the time we make a stop. We also encourage parents with small children, especially with community bus stops, to bring the child and stay with them if at all possible until the bus arrives.”
Spears added that children preparing to get on the bus should be focused on boarding the bus and not distracted by other children or electronic devices.
“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,” Spears added.
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.
Parents of students who attend the Allen County Primary Center are reminded that the policy of the district requires someone to be at home before the bus driver will let young children off the bus.
“Our policy in Allen County is if a child is in preschool, kindergarten, first, second, or third grades, we don’t let the child off the bus unless we see someone---mom, dad, a grandparent, or some body that’s approved to take the child off the bus,” Spears noted. “If someone is not at the stop, we will not let the child off.”
When no one is at a stop to receive the child, the child is kept on the bus. If the bus’s route swings back by the residence, another attempt is made. If no one is at the stop or a drop-off or connection point with parents can not be arranged, the child is returned to the school. The parent will have to come to school and pick up the child.
Spears asks parents to have a consistent afternoon schedule for their child. Parents must call a school by 1:30 and arrange for a child to ride a different bus than normal. If a call is not received by 1:30, a change will not be made. However, problems arise when children are getting three or more notes to switch buses a week.
“Consistency is the key,” Spears noted. “We have had parents call in on Wednesday needing a child to ride a different bus the rest of the week. The bus driver gets that note. But then Thursday, the parent calls back and requests the child do something different. So Thursday afternoon, you have a bus driver looking for that child since they (the bus driver) have a note. Kids can ride different buses but this back-and-to is not good. The child needs consistency too. Parents need a schedule that is consistent if at all possible.”
All students in the system receive a yellow handout outlining the district’s rules and regulation regarding transportation. The packet is to be reviewed, signed and returned to school.
“The rules are simple but they must be followed,” Spears added. “We urge parents to read over the rules with their child. Remind them that the bus is an extension of the classroom.”
The handout also contains safety tips including reminders about backpacks and drawstrings.
“We ask parents to remember to get a backpack apportioned to their child’s height,” Spears added. “If they have a little child, don’t buy a huge backpack. Also, we always remind parents about drawstrings on backpacks and coats---make sure they 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.
Officers with the Scottsville Police Department and the Allen County School Resource Officer 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.
Parents with any questions about the transportation polices of the Allen County School District can contact Spears at the Allen County Board of Education.