School Bus Behavior Guidelines

Safe and appropriate behavior keeps our buses safe.

Rules for bus riders help ensure that every student has a safe ride to and from school. Students are expected to follow all of the rules. Students who choose not to follow the rules may be suspended from riding the bus.Here are some helpful resources regarding appropriate bus behavior:

The Dos and Don'ts of Riding the Bus

What SHOULD students DO when riding the bus?

  • Always cooperate with all bus drivers, including substitutes.
  • Follow the directions given by the bus driver, and be respectful.
  • When waiting at a bus stop, wait in a line that starts well back from the curb.
  • If crossing a street to or from a school bus, cross only in front of the stopped bus when the STOP paddle is out and red lights are flashing.
  • If crossing the street at an intersection, cross with the green light and WALK signal.
  • Get on or off the bus only when it is completely stopped.
  • Have student school identification ready to show the driver when boarding the bus or at any time the driver asks for identification.
  • If the bus driver asks a student to sit in a particular seat, the student should follow that request.
  • Sit in only one seat; do not save seats for others.
  • Stay in your seat at all times the bus is moving.
  • If there is a seat belt, keep it fastened.
  • Keep the aisles of the bus clear.
  • Help keep the bus clean by keeping waste paper off the floor.
  • Get off the bus only at your assigned stop.
  • If you are using a cell phone, use it appropriately so that it does not create a disturbance for the driver or other students.
  • In the morning, be at your stop between five and ten minutes before the scheduled pick-up time. (Buses will not wait for students who are not present).
  • In the morning, form a line that starts well back from the curb.
  • In the afternoon, walk quickly to your bus. Buses depart 5 to 7 minutes after the bell. (If students miss the bus, the parent/guardian will need to pick them up from school.)
  • Only leave the bus at your designated stop.

What should students NOT DO when riding the bus?

  • Do not stand when the bus is moving.
  • Do not place any part of your body outside the bus windows (including hands, arms, and head).
  • Do not bring anything onto the bus that is heavy, sharp, or bulky or could affect the safety of other bus riders. This includes skateboards, sticks, unicycles, skis or vaulting poles, breakable containers, strap or pin sticking out from clothing, or anything flammable.
  • Weapons, including knives and guns, are strictly prohibited. There is a zero tolerance policy on weapons.
  • Do not eat or drink on the bus.
  • Do not bring matches or tobacco on the bus.
  • Do not open windows, unless you have permission from the bus driver.
  • Do not take photos or videos of students or the driver without their permission.

Suspendable offenses

We want the ride to and from school to be safe and comfortable for everyone on the bus. We ask that students help create that environment -- and when they don't, they may face consequences.

Students may be suspended from riding the bus for committing any of the offenses listed below:

  • Defying the bus driver.
  • Fighting with another student or with the driver.
  • Inappropriate dress or stages of undress.
  • Riding a bus that is not the assigned bus without the permission of a parent/guardian and the school.
  • Exiting at the wrong bus stop without permission from the parent/guardian and the school.
  • Failing to give a name, or giving a false name, to the driver when asked.
  • Not showing student identification (ID) card to the driver when asked.
  • Doing anything on the bus that seriously harms the safety of others.
  • Smoking.
  • Opening an emergency exit or exiting by an emergency exit or the window.
  • Possessing banned items on the bus: drugs, alcohol, bullets, explosives, fireworks or weapons.
  • Making a bomb threat.
  • Inappropriate displays of affection.
  • Bullying or harassment of other students or the driver.
  • Throwing anything from the bus.
  • Making obscene gestures.
  • Speaking profanely or making racial slurs to anyone on the bus.
  • Using laser lights.
  • Spitting or biting.

Discipline procedures

All instances of misbehavior on the bus and at bus stops are serious, because it can affect student safety and well-being.

Discipline ranges from warning to expulsion.

Major offenses are very serious. The student who commits a major offense will be suspended from riding the bus. The length of the suspension will depend on the severity of the major offense. For each offense, a student receives a School Bus Incident Warning Report. A copy will be sent to the parent/guardian. When a student receives several incident reports, this will result in suspension of three to 30 days, or for the remainder of the school year, depending on the offense.

Steps followed in school bus discipline procedure:

Minor offense:

  1. · Verbal warning from driver to student. Driver may also contact the parent/guardian.
  2. · Written warning from driver to student: The driver verbally warns the student, completes an Incident Warning Report, and submits it to the Student Center. Copies are mailed to the parent/guardian and school.

Major offense:

  1. ·The student will be suspended from riding the bus.
  2. ·The driver completes an Incident Report; a copy is mailed to the parent/guardian and the school.
  3. ·When suspended, the student is not allowed to ride any district bus for a specified period of time. This includes after-school activity buses.
  4. ·Parents/guardians may be contacted by the driver or the Student Center to discuss the student's behavior
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