Answer:

Weather, traffic, driver absenteeism, maintenance difficulties, and unforeseen incidents are responsible for delays in the arrival of school buses in the morning and afternoon.

Sometimes the bus routes must be doubled out or run as a second load to or from the school due to the regular driver being absent.

Answer: Behavioral expectations on the school bus are much like those in the classroom. Then, factor in the mobility of that "classroom" and traffic, added noise and the size of the "classroom" and you have a potential catastrophe if there are not clear expectations and enforcement. The behavioral expectations on the bus revolve around the individual rights of every person on the bus, including the driver and the collective rights of students and driver as it pertains to SAFETY. Anything that jeopardizes the safety of individuals on the bus is viewed as serious. Most drivers have Bus rules or Expectations posted on the bus. When there is an infraction, a referral is turned into the school administrators, who are responsible for contacting the student and parent to solve the lack of compliance with bus expectations. The school administrator is solely responsible for consequences based on the incident as described by the driver and student. All buses have video cameras, which are used to verify incidents. Due to our bumpy dirt roads our video cameras do not always work.  Our goal is never to deny any student transportation to and from school, but we must maintain safety for all students. 

Answer: It is simply a numbers problem. There are as many as 50-70 students on each bus. That is at least 50-70 phone calls in a short time frame to parents who are quite possibly at the bus stop with their children. It is just not feasible. Please know that there is a bus on the way and that we will do everything humanly possible to transport your child to and from school in a timely manner every day. If your scheduled bus is more than ten minutes late, please allow for the time that it requires for the route to be driven as a second load.

Please Note:  If you have current information listed for your child in our student information system, we often try to send updates via our parent automated call out system if a bus is going to be significantly late.

Answer: School buses come in various sizes ranging from 25 to 36 feet long, 20,000-26,000 pounds, 12-13 feet high and 6-9 feet wide. The length is what limits the school bus to be maneuvered in cul-de-sacs and tight places. Smaller buses can turn in a shorter radius, while longer buses cannot maneuver the same circle without backing the bus, which is avoided in routing if possible. Residents sometimes park trucks, boats, and trailers on the streets. Children leave their bicycles, skateboards, and basketball backboards on the streets. Although our drivers are trained to be able to parallel park their buses, some roads are not designed with school bus transportation in mind. Please know that we will design school bus routes to be safe and convenient to the majority of students within the limits of time and physics.

Answer: Seat assignments are a positive way for the ride to be consistent and safe. It is also our policy for all  students to be assigned to a specific seat. This aids the driver with discipline and learning each student's names at the beginning of the school year. We trust our drivers to let us know when this policy is no longer effective.

Answer: To avoid multiple problems, the driver requires a note, signed by the parent and school administrator to alter the destination of students. This allows the drivers to focus on driving and safety instead of having to decide whether the student should be allowed to change their routine and get off with a friend or ride to an entirely different neighborhood. This should be the decision of the parent. The driver has no other way to verify that the parent has made this decision. This policy avoids confusion and the chance of students getting lost or running away.

Answer:

The Superintendent of schools is responsible for the final decision to close schools due to inclement weather. The decision is made after administrative staff report from various positions in the county regarding road conditions. A decision will be made and the public will be notified as soon as possible. The following media sites will carry that information to the public: 

Radio Stations

WYNR 102.5

WKUB 105.1

Television Stations

WJXT – Channel 4

Answer: A committee of people already involved in a student's education determines transportation needs. After it has been determined that the student would benefit from being transported apart from the mainstreamed students, the teacher will complete and send a special needs transportation request to the system Special Education Department for processing.

Answer: Three to five (3-5) days are needed to obtain all emergency information, process routing information, contact drivers and communicate with parents and other professionals involved.

Answer: Our goal, for students within the Brantley County district, is no more than one hour.

Answer: SAFETY is our main goal and concern. Changes may be granted for consistent schedules within the child's regular route.

Answer: Special needs transportation is granted in accordance with a student's needs as a related service to the IEP (Individualized Education Plan). Students who receive an education without an IEP are provided transportation through conventional means.