Policies & Procedures

Roles & Responsibilities | Safety | Policy | Regulations | Procedures

Safety
A key part of our mandate is to ensure students are safe while traveling to and from school. We ensure that school buses are maintained to the highest standards. We also ensure that schools have access to safety education programs and that safety information and guidelines are communicated to them. We also make sure that bus drivers have additional safe driving and first aid training. This section covers safety on yellow school buses within Edmonton Public Schools. Many of the same safety rules apply for ETS buses.

Safety Rules and Tips for Students
It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure the safety of the child traveling to and from the stop location. Edmonton Public Schools does not support the practice of traveling to and from the stops without an appropriate escort.

• Remain seated and facing forward while on the bus.
• Speak in quiet voices.
• Keep jacket and sweatshirt drawstrings, backpack straps, scarves and loose clothing tucked in.
• Keep all parts of your body inside the bus. Do not put any item or body part out of the window.
• Keep your belongings and your body from blocking the aisle or exits.
• Listen and obey the instructions of the driver. As the bus is an extension of the classroom, the driver is the school principal's representative on the bus.
• The danger zone around a bus must be avoided. This is the area where the driver cannot see or has limited vision. This danger zone includes the three meters all the way around the bus.
• If you can touch the bus while standing outside, you are much too close.
• If you cannot see the driver, the driver cannot see you.
• Under no circumstances should children in an urban area attempt to cross in front of the bus. If a child must cross a street after getting off the bus, he/she should wait until the bus pulls safely away, walk to the nearest intersection and then cross the street following normal safety procedures.

Waiting for the Yellow Bus

• Always arrive 5 minutes prior to the bus pick-up time.
• Respect the private property around the bus stop location.
• Wait for the bus at a safe place away from the road.
• Line up in an orderly fashion before loading the bus. Never run to or from a bus.
• Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching and boarding.
• Ensure that your belongings are ready for loading and storage.
• Avoid the danger zone; if you can touch the bus you are too close.

Getting On and Off the Yellow Bus

• The bus must be at a complete stop before getting on and off the bus.
• Use the handrail and climb one stair at a time.
• Do not push or shove.
• If you drop anything do not pick it up. Tell an adult or the driver.
• Take five giant steps away from the bus after getting off.
• Do not bend down or crouch near a yellow school bus.
• The emergency exit can only be used in an emergency situation. Only exit the bus through the front door.

Restrictions on Items Allowed on a Yellow Bus

• Loose items such as marbles, books, balls, electronics, sports equipment, etc. are not permitted unless completely enclosed within a backpack, athletic bag or other luggage container.
• Luggage containers (eg. backpacks, athletic bags, etc.) that do not fit under the seat will not be permitted.
• Items which are too large to be safely transported on a yellow bus, as described above, will be the responsibility of the parents to transport to/from school.
• Pets are not allowed on a yellow bus.
• Any item deemed to be (or potentially be) a weapon will not be permitted on a yellow bus.
• No combustible materials or dangerous goods will be transported on a yellow bus.

Securing Luggage

• Luggage cannot be allowed to protrude into the aisle.
• Luggage cannot block or partially block an exit.
• Luggage must be stored, lodged or secured so that it cannot be dislodged or move about when the school bus brakes or accelerates, or in the event of a collision.

Rural Area Considerations

• On designated roads with speed limits of more than 50 kilometers per hour, yellow bus drivers may use the eight-light warning system on the bus to stop traffic when loading or unloading students.
• Students may have to cross at private lanes. Upon the instruction of the bus driver, students should cross in front of the bus at least five meters (15 feet) from the bus.

School Bus Evacuation Drills
The need to conduct school bus evacuation drills is just as important as conducting fire drills at school, as it is impossible to predict when an emergency might occur involving a school bus. School bus evacuation drills are critical so that students are familiar with how to exit the bus quickly and safely in an emergency.

Edmonton Public Schools requires that all carriers under contract to the district conduct at least two evacuation drills per year on each route. The first drill is to be completed on or before November 30 and the second on or before April 30.

The evacuation drills are to be performed using the rear emergency exit door of the bus. The exception to this practice would involve students with special needs who, due to a medical or behavior condition, are not able to safely evacuate the bus using the rear emergency exit door. In these cases, the school principal and the bus driver should develop an alternate procedure.

Schools are expected to assist bus drivers and supervise the evacuation drills -the designated school contact person will be responsible for helping arrange a time and location for the drill, observing the drill and reporting the results to the principal.

Bus drivers will contact school principals or the designated contact person to arrange a convenient date to perform the school bus evacuation drills. School bus evacuation drills are to take place in a safe location on school property. Bus drivers are responsible for informing students about the procedures for evacuating school buses and for coordinating the evacuation drills. Carriers are required to complete and submit a School Bus Evacuation Drill Reporting Form to Student Transportation and the designated school contact person.

School Bus Safety Week
School Bus Safety Week is held each year in October to promote school bus safety awareness. Specific dates and information regarding School Bus Safety Week are communicated to schools in advance. Schools are encouraged to promote school bus and pedestrian safety during School Bus Safety Week.

Outlined below are a few activities that parents and/or staff may wish to pursue at your school:

Guest speakers: Invite a representative from an organization that is directly involved in the delivery of pedestrian and school bus safety programs to speak with the students at your school.

Parent Advisory Committees: Parents are probably the greatest advocates for student safety. Encourage parents at your school to become involved in promoting safety, as they are an excellent resource for spreading messages, identifying solutions to resolve safety concerns and assisting in the delivery of safety programs at your school.

School Bus Driver Appreciation Day: The key to successful school transportation is the driver. Plan a Bus Driver Appreciation Day at your school. Principals might invite drivers in for coffee after their morning routes are completed or to a school function.

School newsletters: Place messages and articles on pedestrian and school bus safety in correspondence that is distributed to students and parents.

Artwork: Have students prepare posters, bookmarks, etc., based on pedestrian and school bus safety themes and messages that can be displayed in your school.

Improvisation: Students may dramatize a school bus situation in which they role-play the bus driver, the school principal, a co-operative student, a problem student, etc.

Writing: Have students write essays, short stories or simple thank-you letters to the school bus drivers, crossing guards and/or parent parking patrols.

School bus evacuation drills: Arrange to have the bus drivers perform school bus evacuation drills.

For more information, suggestions or assistance with School Bus Safety Week activities, contact Student Transportation at 780-429-8585.

Safety Resources
Additional safety information can be found on the following websites:

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