2012-2013 TWINSBURG CITY SCHOOLS
BUS STOP GUIDELINES
These are the guidelines used in building the
bus routes for 2012-2013.
As a goal to save money and decrease the amount of time that students spend on the bus, our Transportation Department will assign bus stops according to the following guidelines:
When assigning students to stops, the following guidelines apply:
When two or more students are assigned to a stop: (1) The stop would be made at the child using both am and pm, not at the student going to daycare in am or pm; and (2) When more than two children are assigned to a stop we do not assign the stop at the younger students residency, but at the middle address or a corner.
If the street is very long (i.e. one-half mile), whenever possible, stops will be made at the end and in the middle of the street.
No stops in short cul-de-sacs and/or in cul-de-sacs where a bus cannot turnaround in without backing up the bus.
We will be making more corner stops and less house stops (with approved exceptions).
Stops will be determined for the following grades using these guidelines:
a. Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st grade: up to
or approximately 200 yards.
b. 2nd and 3rd grade: up to or approximately 350 yards.
c. 4th through 6th grades: up to or approximately
400 yards.
d. 7th thru 12th grades: up to ½ mile.
6. Other factors used to determine the placement of a stop
will be:
a. Number of lanes on the road (We do not cross children
on four lanes.) [School bus stops shall be established on the residence side of all four-lane four lane highways.]
b. Applicable speed limits (We need to be careful on assigning stops for young children to cross the road where the speed limit is 45-50 mph).
c. Available sidewalks (What if there are no sidewalks? We have a lot of areas that do not have sidewalks. We always consider safety first, but we are not able to assign house stops at all of these locations.)
d. Street lighting(This really only effects high school and middle school students. The sun is up when the other school bus runs start. We cannot assign stops according to where there are street lights.
It will be an expectation that parents are to assume responsibility for the safety of their child(ren) at an assigned bus stop. We anticipate that bus stop locations will not be in the direct line of sight from many homes, and when this is the case, students may require parental escorts to their stops.
ONE stop and ONE bus per student every day in the afternoon.
One stop in the afternoon for all daycares.
All days or no days for Latchkey.
Shared Custody of High School, Middle School and Dodge students will be allowed to go to and from both parents’ homes.
The Ohio Department of Education states:
In all city, local, and exempted village school districts where resident school pupils in grades kindergarten through eight live more than two miles from the school to which they are assigned the board of education shall provide transportation for such pupils to and from school. Pupils in grades kindergarten through eight may be required to walk up to one-half mile to a designated bus stop.
Please take the time to review the following “SAFETY SCHOOL BUS RULES” with your children:
1. Students shall arrive at the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
2. Students must wait in a location clear of traffic and 20 steps away from the bus stops.
3. Behavior at the school bus stop must not threaten life, limb or property of any individual.
4. Students must go directly to their assigned seat so the bus may safely resume motion.
5. Students must remain seated keeping aisles and exits clear.
6. Students must observe classroom conduct and obey the driver promptly and respectfully.
7. Students must not use profane language.
8. Students must refrain from eating and drinking on the bus.
9. Students must not use tobacco on the bus.
10. Students must not have alcohol or drugs in their possession on the bus.
11. Students must not throw or pass objects on, from or into the bus.
12. Students must not put head, arms or any object out of the bus windows.
13. Students may carry on the bus only objects that can be held in their laps.
14. Students must leave or board the bus at locations to which they have been assigned.
PLACE OF SAFETY:
Each student shall be assigned a designated place of safety. Students are to remain at their designated place of safety and are not to proceed to their residence or to their parent until the school bus has departed. The purpose of the place of safety is to reduce as much as possible the potential of a student being hit by a school bus while they are in the process of being picked up or dropped off.
The following procedures are being taught to our students by their school bus driver.
1. The place of safety should be at least 20 or more steps away from the bus stop.
2. The place of safety should be far enough away from the bus so that the bus can proceed without any chance of the student running back into the path of school bus as it leaves the designated stop.
3. When possible, the driver should choose a stationary and recognizable object – such as a tree, or sign post or 20 steps directly away from the bus.
4. The place of safety should be such that a driver can account for the location of the child before moving the bus. At stops with multiple students, a place of safety should be identified where each student can be seen.
There is a notable increase in vehicles that are now passing stopped school buses on the right hand side. To maximize the safety of our students and standardize our procedures across the state – all bus drivers must now use a hand signal for all students - both right side and left side pickups to board their school bus. The driver will open the door to activate the red lights, and will have his/her hand raised. The driver will ensure traffic has stopped and then will signal by dropping their hand to let the students know it is safe to approach the bus.
Previously, this procedure was enforced only for students who had to cross a street in front of the school bus. Recent close calls in other communities with vehicles passing school buses on the right side of the bus prompted this change in state law. Under the new state law, drivers will continue to use the hand signal to let students know it is safe to cross the road in front of the bus and also use the signal for the students at the right of the bus to let them know it is safe to board the bus.
To ensure that bus drivers can properly give the signal to students that it is safe to board the bus, students should be waiting at their designated point of safety at the bus stop five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
Thank you for helping your children remember the new procedures for boarding the bus: Be at the point of safety five minutes before the bus is to arrive and wait for the bus driver's hand signal to board the bus. Your child's safety in riding to and from school is our priority.
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT