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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 21:31:59 GMT
The bus driver's [HASH]1 responsibility is to safely operate the bus. Driving. The bus driver isn't responsible for crowd control, babysitting, discipline etc. (and OP I'm not implying that your kids need this)
The school is responsible for getting kids on the bus. Getting young ones on the correct bus is also their responsibility...especially in the first few days of school.
I know bus drivers here are not supposed to let little kids off their bus without an adult there (or older sibling) to take the child. Perhaps this is a phone call you could make either to the school or to the transportation department to find out what they do to ensure little ones are getting off at the right stop.
Lastly, even young children should be made to be responsible for being aware of their environment. I know kids that used to sleep on the bus...I always told my kids that if they fall asleep and miss their stop, they're never going to know it. Always be aware of where you are. Kids should know what their stop looks like. Use landmarks for young kids. Every time the bus stops, have them look out the windows to learn where they are. As time goes on, they'll also be able to determine where their stop is based on what batch of kids just exited the bus.
It does take some effort and most especially TIME to get used to it. Never make rash decisions in the first few weeks of school...it's a learning curve for everyone.
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Post by Karene on Sept 2, 2014 21:51:47 GMT
Our schools are all k-8. There are no middle schools. So k-8 get on the same bus if they are on the same route. We live around the corner from our home school so my youngest never went on a bus. My oldest started in Grade 3 when he went to a gifted school the next town over. But he went on a mini bus and his stop was right outside our house. Because it was a special bus, it was grade 3 to 12. He never got left behind, thank goodness, because I didn't have a car for the first few years he was there and both our town and the one he went to school in are in the country so no town buses.
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Post by katlaw on Sept 2, 2014 21:57:39 GMT
I would not blame the bus right away, the dad may have been at the right stop but his child could have been on another bus that was coming after the ones your girls were on. At our school from Kindergarten to Grade 6 there is a teacher assigned to each bus at the end of the day. The teacher stands by the bus door and checks the kids off a list as they get onto the bus. The list is on a clipboard in the office. If a child is not a school that day the office staff marks them off. If I choose to pick my son up that day I have to go into the office or meet the teacher at the bus door and make sure they mark him as "parent pick-up". The bus does not leave without everyone on the list accounted for. It sounds chaotic but they have been doing it this way for years and the parents and kids are well-trained. Ours is always late the first day even when we have the same driver as the last year. We have a new driver this year so I am expecting it to be at least 15-20 minutes late. I am surprised at the parents who say they would not let their young children ride with grade 7 or 8 students. The bus driver has the kids sit in age groups here. The little ones are usually right by the driver and the older ones are not that interested in them. I find the older kids pretty good and would hate to think some stranger who does not even know my child would not want their child near him or her just because they assume teenagers are a bad thing to have on the bus. In a few years your kids will be that grade 7 or 8 student and you would not want them judged that way.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 22:06:50 GMT
Our child attends private school where busing is not available. However, IMHO it is the responsibility of the school district to inform parents of the assigned bus number & stop; the parents to ensure students know which bus & stop & meet them, as necessary/required; the school/bus duty staff to educate students on the procedures for locating & loading the buses & rules of conduct while riding the bus; & the bus driver to safely operate the bus & announce the stops by name, as printed on the information originally given to parents, at least for the first couple of weeks (e.g. intersection of Main & 1st St.). Given the age range of students riding buses, I can understand how it would take time for everyone to adapt & suggest you reserve judgement for now. If these problems persist past the second or third week, then voice concern. In the meantime, glad your girls have each other!Well, if this is normal, DH and I are going to rethink sending DD3 and DD4 to French school. Yuck. What a disorganized and crappy system. You always have the option of volunteering to improve the busing system &/or transporting your children to & from school, rather than denying them attendance at the school that addresses their academic needs/interests. NO, I don't have the option. Not everyone can afford 2 cars and day care for their younger children.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Sept 2, 2014 22:35:43 GMT
"The bulk of the responsibility should occur on the school's side - not the bus driver's side. The teachers who are assigned to bus duty at the end of the day should be making sure the right kids are getting on the right busses. " -------------------------------------------
That. Usually with younger kids the teachers and aides are walking out the kids to the bus ea day, until they know exactly where they are going. It's not the bus drivers fault. It wasn't his fault the 1st grader got on the wrong bus. It sounded like he did his job? he dropped the kids off right? why were they 45 mins late? I would expect the 1st day to have bumps, and then it all to smooth out. Just give it some time. Tell the girls to get to know the bus driver! My girls rode the bus from K-12th grade. 11-12th grade only on occasion. It's a small school, so kids K-12th grade all ride the bus together. All the kids watched out for ea other. The older kids actually looked out for the younger ones, and told the bus driver at times that so and so didn't get off, or whatever. My dd's knew the bus driver by name, and he always looked out for them. He knew that when my girls started driving themselves to school, that on snow days, with a late start, he would stop and pick them up, because I didn't want them driving on the roads those days. He was invited to their HS grad parties. Your bus driver can be your best resource in school!
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Post by gypsymama on Sept 2, 2014 22:46:31 GMT
i work for the transportation department in a large school district and first day, even first week, is pretty chaotic! and there is absolutely no humanly possible way for us to take roll on the buses because we have, as a PP said, no way to know which kids were absent that day, went home early, mom picked them up, had practice after school etc... our school district policy is that kids 2nd grade and up can get off alone, they have to be in 3rd to get off and be responsible for younger siblings... otherwise we only drop off if a parent is there. all the buses have radios and they would have said "ashley is here for her little girl and she is not on my bus, can y'all check for her" and all buses would check to see if they found the missing kid. my son and nephew got on the wrong bus and when he let of his last elem kiddo he noticed some extras and called in to base and they figured out who the kids were and had them waiting on me when i got in from my route. we also have a fleet of vehicles that we drive kids home or back to their schools in case of transportation glitches. they happen, we're human, but they all make it home! we were out delivering kids until after 7 on our first day!
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Post by momofkandn on Sept 2, 2014 22:57:54 GMT
My kids have been using the bus since Kindergarten and I agree with the consensus that it is the school's responsibility to make sure kids get on the right bus. The drivers try to help, but they can't keep track of every child's stop especially during the first couple weeks. I made sure my kids got on the bus every morning at their stop so that they would know which one to get off at in the afternoon. My county does have rules about an adult being there when the kid is dropped off, but honestly, the driver doesn't pay that much attention. If 10 kids are getting off they don't attempt to count 10 parents. And as others have said, you expect the first week to be rocky and the buses to be late. They do take extra time at the school to make sure kids get on the right bus.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 23:31:47 GMT
Sorry, but it's absolute bullshit that if I were to pick up my child at the school, I'd have to be pre-approved (ie, on a form) and have met the teacher, and greet her first and physically take my child from her (between JK and grade 3) but if they ride the bus that same age child can just get off the bus whenever they want. That makes no sense at all.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 23:34:06 GMT
Sorry, but it's absolute bullshit that if I were to pick up my child at the school, I'd have to be pre-approved (ie, on a form) and have met the teacher, and greet her first and physically take my child from her (between JK and grade 3) but if they ride the bus that same age child can just get off the bus whenever they want. That makes no sense at all. The bus driver has enough on their hands. The children should be able to get off at the correct stop. I think you are expecting too much. I rode the bus from kindergarten on and managed as do millions of others. We had no one to tell us what stop to get off on and no role call. It would take way too much time.
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Post by 2peaornot2pea on Sept 2, 2014 23:41:57 GMT
Teach your kids their bus numbers and where their bus stops are.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2014 23:47:27 GMT
I don't think it's too much at all to expect that a bus driver would help 5 year olds get off at the right stop on the first DAY of school.
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Post by 950nancy on Sept 2, 2014 23:48:00 GMT
We have eight buses that arrive and depart daily. We have a ton of people out front making sure they wait in the correct line before they walk to the bus. There are checks several places along the way. Kids will still get on the wrong bus because they tell the duty person they know they are getting on the right bus when they aren't. Lists are prepared but new students or students that have moved change daily. Bus drivers are supposed to be concerned with each child's safety to and from school. Sadly, bus monitors are too expensive for most schools so kids have to be prepared. I know several parents that go through the whole routine and buses drop the kids very close to their homes. Any kiddo above kindergarten usually does not have a problem. And then there is the kid that doesn't get on the bus because they want mom or dad to pick them up so they don't have to ride the bus or the kid that just walks home or goes to a friend's house. So many things can and do go wrong even with the best of plans. I am so glad I drove my kids to school every morning. This would be stressful, but in the 28 years I have been teaching there has never been a lost kid (for real). There are way more problems for the kids that just walk home, for sure.
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Post by Basket1lady on Sept 2, 2014 23:51:36 GMT
At our elementary schools, it is the classroom teacher's job to ensure that the kids are on the right bus. The drivers don't have a list, but won't let a child under 3rd grade off without an adult or older sibling there to meet them.
The first few days can be chaotic. Especially if the French program is new to the school across town. But they should know what busses kids get on and make sure that they kids are where they are supposed to be. I hope the missing little girl was picked up by mom or a grandparent. That change in plans often is the cause for the confusion, especially on the first day.
When DS was in 7th grade, we moved to a new town. He had never ridden the bus before and I hadn't even thought to find out what bus he was supposed to take home or how he was supposed to find that bus. We knew what bus to get on because it stopped in front of the house and he rode with all the neighbor kids. But DS has Asperger's and isn't always on the lookout for clues from his peers. And it was in a town where the kids had all been in school together since pre-k. DS was one of only 7 new students that year. Thankfully, the VP was there and took over the situation. He called me, but I was at the bus stop and hadn't thought to bring my cell, so the he then called DH. And then the VP drove DS home himself. So the problem was handled well, but I was left at the bus stop with no idea where my son was. In the end it all worked out, but for a while, I was scared!
Ashley, you now know what to tell your girls so they know how to manage the bus. Good for your older DD to look out for your younger DD. It sounds like they did the right thing to find each other. By the time the younger kids ride the bus, you will be a pro at this and can put checks into place to help them find the right bus. I would also hope that the school has realized that the system didn't work as well as it could have and are working on a way right now to fix it for tomorrow.
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back to *pea*ality
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 25, 2014 19:51:11 GMT
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Post by back to *pea*ality on Sept 3, 2014 0:44:57 GMT
I don't think it's too much at all to expect that a bus driver would help 5 year olds get off at the right stop on the first DAY of school. Our school district does a practice run for Kindergarten. They get picked up at their bus stop ride to school and get dropped back off at their bus stop. They were given tags for their book bags with their bus number and the teachers made sure they got on the right bus. I am not going to say mistakes never happened but the teachers and bus drivers were fantastic. Also, some of the older neighborhood kids watched out for the little ones. I was at the bus stop to get my kid off the bus with all the rest of the moms so getting them *off * the bus was not an issue.
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Post by Basket1lady on Sept 3, 2014 0:56:26 GMT
My dd's knew the bus driver by name, and he always looked out for them. He knew that when my girls started driving themselves to school, that on snow days, with a late start, he would stop and pick them up, because I didn't want them driving on the roads those days. He was invited to their HS grad parties. Your bus driver can be your best resource in school! My bus driver came to my grad party, too! It must be a Minnesota thing. He would also drive down our driveway if I wasn't at the stop. He was a really nice guy! Ashley, I really hope that your school gets it all figured out. I know I would worry, too.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2014 1:01:58 GMT
Thanks! They really are old enough that I'm not worried about them at all -- though glad that they saw each other after school and noticed DD2 was being sent to the wrong bus, because I'm sure that if they hadn't seen each other, they wouldn't have bothered looking for the other one or noticed that they weren't on the same bus. Anyway, I'm not worried about my own two daughters, but really just surprised and disappointed that there isn't some sort of system in place for getting the young students off the bus. Given the strict security measures AT the school, it's ridiculous to just send 5 or 6 year olds off on their on to deal with the bus.
I'm usually a big proponent of teaching kids to be independent, but in new situations everyone needs a little help.
I am glad that there were mixed ages on the bus, though, because the older kids were able to comfort and help keep the little ones calmer when they were starting to cry and get upset because they didn't know when they were supposed to get off the bus and were scared it was taking so long to get home.
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TheOtherMeg
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Jun 25, 2014 20:58:14 GMT
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Post by TheOtherMeg on Sept 3, 2014 1:12:37 GMT
Our kindergartners wear painters hats with their name and bus info on them for the first two weeks. (Parents can and do keep using them for longer, though.) Volunteers put the info (student name, AM bus number, PM bus number, where the student gets off) on the hats a few weeks before the first day of school (as soon as the bus info is available). The hat works well because teachers and drivers -- and fellow bus riders who are old enough to read!-- see the info right away and have a better chance of stopping a student from getting on the wrong bus or off at the wrong stop. There's also a colored shape for quick identification.
The painters hats have been both donated by area businesses and bought by the school. It just depends upon the year. They're pretty cheap when purchased in bulk.
If I had a little one taking the bus, I'd also have him/her wear an ID bracelet with my cell number on it. There are some cute ones available online now. Much nicer than the metal ones we wore in the early 60s!
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Post by Merge on Sept 3, 2014 1:14:22 GMT
In my old (relatively small) district, where 99% of the kids rode the bus to school, the bus drivers knew all the kids by name, knew which stop was theirs, etc. The youngest ones had stickers to wear with their name, their parents' name and stop number for the first week of school while the drivers were getting to know them. It was the drivers' job to make sure everyone got off safely at the correct stop.
In my current district, which has the mess of busing students across town to magnet schools in addition to busing some to neighborhood schools (relatively few, as they only bus if you live more than two miles from the school), it seems to be more of a free for all. Buses frequently stop at more than one school. Bus drivers are poorly paid and they have difficulty retaining good ones. We had a kindergartener arrive late on the first day because he got off at the first school on the route, which was not ours. It took over an hour before they figured out where he was, got him from the other school and got him to ours - during which time his parents were frantic because they had put him on the bus so he could get used to riding it, and then drove to school to meet him there. Imagine their horror when he didn't get off the bus!
I would never put a kindergartener on a bus in our district. I even dislike my middle schoolers riding the bus from their school to ours - there are lot of behavior problems, and the bus makes so many stops at other schools in between that the ten minute drive takes over an hour. We are facing the likelihood of older dd having to ride the bus to high school next year, and honestly, I think I'd put her on the city bus before I'd put her on the school bus. They're just terrible.
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Post by melanell on Sept 3, 2014 1:45:00 GMT
As far as drop-offs go, our parents (of the young kids) are told that someone needs to be at the stop waiting for them. So there is very little chance of a child getting off at the wrong stop, because the drivers wait to be sure that the kids are matched up to someone.
And in the rural areas, each child is dropped off right in their own driveway. And even at the Middle School level, I know DS's driver waits to see him open the door if the car isn't there.
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Post by monklady123 on Sept 3, 2014 1:49:39 GMT
i work for the transportation department in a large school district and first day, even first week, is pretty chaotic! and there is absolutely no humanly possible way for us to take roll on the buses because we have, as a PP said, no way to know which kids were absent that day, went home early, mom picked them up, had practice after school etc... our school district policy is that kids 2nd grade and up can get off alone, they have to be in 3rd to get off and be responsible for younger siblings... otherwise we only drop off if a parent is there. all the buses have radios and they would have said "ashley is here for her little girl and she is not on my bus, can y'all check for her" and all buses would check to see if they found the missing kid. my son and nephew got on the wrong bus and when he let of his last elem kiddo he noticed some extras and called in to base and they figured out who the kids were and had them waiting on me when i got in from my route. we also have a fleet of vehicles that we drive kids home or back to their schools in case of transportation glitches. they happen, we're human, but they all make it home! we were out delivering kids until after 7 on our first day!You still had kids on the bus at 7:00?? omg, all those hours after school let out? I would have driven after the bus and taken my kid off of it if that had happened. That's absolutely awful!
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Post by scrappychick on Sept 3, 2014 2:06:46 GMT
First, I would call the school and find out what procedure they have in place to get the kids to the right bus line. In our school, little ones are picked up in class by an aide or 5th grade bus buddy and taken to their line. K and 1 kids have a sign around their neck, or note on their backpack indicating their bu [HASH]. There are signs on the walls telling the kids where to sit. The teachers on bus duty stand in the front of each line with a big sign indicating the bus number. The teacher then walks each line out to the bus. Parents for K-3 must be at the bus stop to meet the kid. If the child isn't on the bus, the driver radios the transportation department, and the dispatcher locates the child. The parent then picks up the child at school. There are always kinks the first week. Always.
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Post by gypsymama on Sept 3, 2014 2:07:41 GMT
i went home at 5:30 after delivering a car-load of kids who ended up on wrong buses, etc... so i don't know the details but i think it was a few kids we'd taken back to transportation and they were unable to get ahold of parents. i just don't know for sure. but it wasn't buses driving around still, it was delivering lost ones.
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Dani-Mani
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 28, 2014 17:36:35 GMT
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Post by Dani-Mani on Sept 3, 2014 2:18:31 GMT
On the first day of school this year, we happened to have a parent in the office during dismissal--and the three hours (yes THREE) after in which we were trying to make wrongs right again. We are still working out the kinks. It was an eye opening experience for that parent though.
Honestly. I urge you to actually view this "crappy" system from the perspective of those of us who work day in and day out to make it work.
Bus drivers are some of the most under valued individuals in education today. Truly.
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Dani-Mani
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Post by Dani-Mani on Sept 3, 2014 2:21:40 GMT
I don't think it's too much at all to expect that a bus driver would help 5 year olds get off at the right stop on the first DAY of school. Oh, I think you don't understand how the system works at all. That is NOT her job, that is YOUR job. She did her job--she got her there safely. Your job is to make sure she knows her stop. You realize some buses have more than 60 kids on them, right? Can you imagine memorizing 60 stops on the first day of school? Stopping some places in the afternoon for kids who weren't even on your morning run, because, despite EVERYONE telling them not to, they took their kids to school who would normally ride a bus? You're being completely unreasonable.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2014 2:32:16 GMT
I don't think it's too much at all to expect that a bus driver would help 5 year olds get off at the right stop on the first DAY of school. Be a bus driver with 60+ kids, a gazillions stops and a super tight schedule. Yeah, it's a LOT to ask. L
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cakediva
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Post by cakediva on Sept 3, 2014 2:37:01 GMT
It's the first day for the driver too. She/he needs to get used to faces and who and where they get picked up/dropped off as well. I realize it's the drivers first day... but I was asking if it's normal to have a roll call/name list/something?? I find the bus system between many of the US Refupeas and us Canadians is very different. But here in my neck of Ontario, no - no roll call/name list/nothing. Our school board has a "find my bus" system and you use that online to check time & stop location. My bus child is in high school, so she walks to the stop and gets on/off all on her own. DS is a walker. But in our old house, all three were bus kids. We had a couple issues when our oldest started JK, and then when they changed the routes & buses around in SK. She was put on the wrong bus the first day, but they managed to drop her off for me anyway.
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cakediva
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Post by cakediva on Sept 3, 2014 2:42:49 GMT
Sorry, but it's absolute bullshit that if I were to pick up my child at the school, I'd have to be pre-approved (ie, on a form) and have met the teacher, and greet her first and physically take my child from her (between JK and grade 3) but if they ride the bus that same age child can just get off the bus whenever they want. That makes no sense at all. I should add, in our area, the drivers will not allow a child to get off the bus at that age if a parent isn't at the bus stop. (not every child is picked up in front of their home in a subdivision situation) So the parent being at the bus stop should cue the child to their stop. My friend was running late one day and missed the bus at the end of the day - and the driver kept her daughter on the bus and kept driving her route. They circled back after the route was done to drop her off then.
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Post by bluepoprocks on Sept 3, 2014 2:49:32 GMT
We live right around the corner from the Catholic school the boys go to now so no buses. However, when they went to the public school my youngest nephew got on the correct bus but couldn't find his brother. He went all the way to the back of the bus looking for him. When he didn't see him instead of looking again he crawled under a seat in the back and cried because he was so scared. My older nephew kept telling the driver that his brother wasn't on the bus. The driver told him it was ok just sit down. So they get to the stop and my sister is there to get them older nephew gets off younger one doesn't. She says to the driver where is my other son. He says he must still be at the school. My sister was frantic, she calls the school and they say he's not there. Finally after a few stops the kids in the back tell the driver there is a kid under the seats crying. The driver calls the school, the school calls us and we had to go to another stop to get him. Thank God he was safe. All kinds of terrible things go thru you're mind when you kid is missing. They gave him an assigned seat after that so his brother could find him. I'll never understand why the older kids in the back didn't say something sooner.
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Dani-Mani
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 28, 2014 17:36:35 GMT
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Post by Dani-Mani on Sept 3, 2014 2:58:31 GMT
Most districts I know of--across states (at least in the US) will not allow a child younger than 2nd grade off the bus without someone to meet them.
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moodyblue
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Sept 3, 2014 3:02:26 GMT
I'm a teacher who has been doing bus duty for all but a couple years of my career, and this is year 38 for me.
We have separate lines for each bus route (we use colors to designate them - orange, green and red) plus kids who ride in a van from a daycare and kids who ride the "little bus" that transports some Special Ed kids. We do not have any kind of attendance list for each route and individual kids are not checked off. That could be unwieldy to do because there are lots of last-minute changes - kids who went home sick, got picked up early, are car riders for this day only because of whatever is going on in their lives, etc. for example, we have a kid who rids the red route most of the time, but sometimes takes the orange bus. There isn't a set pattern for this and I don't know when he's going to ride orange until he gets in that line; HE knows what he's supposed to do and he does it. I've never heard of actual attendance being taken on the bus or in line.
Our bus drivers do tend to know their riders, though, and will check if they are missing someone. And they certainly try very hard to know who should get off where, and not to let the littlest kids off unless someone is there meeting them.
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