Your Journey to Safety

This Program Has Been Brought to You by the Following School Divisions:

This Program Has Been Brought to You by the Following Bus Companies:

A Special Thank You to our Sponsors:

Watch for the Secret School Bus!

Welcome to the “First Ride” Program On an average school day in Alberta, over 245,000 students are transported by school buses 245,000+

Welcome to the “First Ride” Program Daily routes to and from school total 363,000 kilometers – that’s 9 times around the Earth 9 x

Welcome to “First Ride” “First Ride” developed to encourage safety on and around the School Bus This program can only be effective with a “Team Effort” Team Members are: Parents/Responsible Caregiver, Schools, School Boards, Bus Companies, Students

Our Expectations of Parents Register your child for bus transportation (not the same as registration for school) Ensure CBE students carry their bus pass at all times Attend First Ride program

Our Expectations of Parents Respect rules of bus and driver Do not discuss issues or concerns with driver, instead contact or phone bus company or school board staff Parents are not allowed to board school bus

Our Expectations of Parents Parents must know bus route letter or number, stop location and name of school their child attends Driver’s primary concern is the safe transportation of all children, please support the driver in student management issues

Parent or Caregiver Responsibilities Your child’s safety to and from the stop location is a parental responsibility Practice walking the route to & from stop location Utilize a consistent stop location Get to know your neighborhood and have an emergency plan in place

Parent Responsibilities…continued If you choose to let your child walk alone to and from the stop, that is a decision you have made and the responsibility is yours If you plan on meeting your child at stop location, teach them what to do when you are NOT there

Parent Route Request or Enquiries Drivers are not permitted to make route changes Parents must complete and submit a Route Change Request form to the school board transportation department

School Responsibilities Providing supervision for school bus loading and unloading and directing students onto right bus Identifying kindergarten students to driver Directing kindergarten students to sit in first few rows of bus

School Board Responsibilities Creating and changing bus routes Selecting safe stop locations Ensuring communication between bus company, school and parents

Bus Company Responsibilities To provide: Safe and reliable transportation Well trained staff Maintain late service information on My School bus monitor website Support for Student Safety Programs, ie. Safety visits, evacuation drills

Bus Drivers DO NOT Have a student list with any contact information Use cell phones while working Make unauthorized stops Allow parents or other unauthorized persons to board the bus

Safety Zone Area specified by driver where students are to wait before loading and after unloading

1 meter surrounding bus on all sides Danger Zone 1 meter surrounding bus on all sides If students can touch the bus they are TOO CLOSE

Student Responsibility Loading… Be sure a responsible person gets you to your stop 5 minutes before scheduled pickup time Line up in single file well away from road when waiting for bus Why 5 minutes before your stop time?

Loading…continued Wait in the ‘Safety Zone’ When bus has stopped and door is opened walk (Don’t run) to the bus

Loading…continued Hold handrail while boarding

Student Responsibility Once on the Bus… Go directly to a seat Front rows are reserved for Kindergarten students Once load counts are confirmed, seats will be assigned by driver

Which is better? A quiet safe bus Student Responsibility While Riding on Bus… Obey the bus driver Driver’s primary concern is ‘Operating Bus Safely’ Remain seated at all times Sit facing front of the bus Speak in a library voice Which is better? A quiet safe bus or a noisy one?

Which passenger is safer? Student Responsibility While Riding on Bus… Keep all body parts inside bus Show respect for everyone on the bus Follow “School Bus Safety Rules” Which passenger is safer?

School Bus Rules Pick up your handout Please review school bus rules with your children

Student Responsibility - Unloading… Remain seated until bus comes to complete stop No pushing or shoving

Unloading…continued When bus has stopped and door has opened, walk (Don’t run) to front of bus Hold handrail while exiting

Unloading…continued Once off the bus, go to ‘Safety Zone’ and wait until bus pulls away This allows clear visibility of students by other motorists

Parent Responsibility - Unloading Kindergarten students must be aware of the necessity to stay on bus unless: A responsible person, that student recognizes, is at stop to meet them

Parent Responsibility - Unloading continued Kindergarten students must tell the driver if a parent or responsible care-giver is not at the stop Remind your child to stay on the bus Remember: If you choose to let your child walk alone to and from stop, that is a decision you have made and the responsibility is yours

Things You NEED to Know

Route Information When referring to your child’s bus route know the: School & bus company name Route letter or number Stop location and time Signs are posted in 3rd window

Route Description Sample A sample route description is included in the information package that parents and guardians receive at the end of the FIRST RIDE session

Dressing for the Trip Ensure your child is dressed for weather conditions Ensure your child’s clothing is safe; light colours are more visible Remember: Clothing your child likes may not always be safest

In the Event of a Late Bus Students should not be left at the stop alone Have a plan if you can not pick up your children and share it with your family or other care givers

In the Event of a Late Bus If there is no obvious reason for delay and you have waited 15 minutes or more, contact bus company Parents continue to be responsible until their child boards the bus

Possible Causes for Delays Please check the website www.myschoolbusmonitor.ca for information on bus delays Weather & road conditions Road construction/Repairs Traffic delays Dual routing delays Driver absenteeism Mechanical problems **Please contact the School Bus company for any other information if you are not able use the website listed above.

Missing Caregiver -1 Students must tell driver there is no one there to meet them Parent, reinforce with your child to ‘Stay on the Bus’ Remember if you choose to let your child walk to and from home unsupervised, that is your decision and responsibility is yours All buses equipped with two-way radios

Missing Caregiver - 2 Bus arrives at stop and child tells driver their caregiver is not there. Child should have contact phone numbers & address in their backpack or jacket. Bus company will attempt to contact parent or guardian while driver completes route.

Missing Caregiver - 3 In extreme situations, where carrier is unable to contact school or parent, student may be turned over to care of Calgary Police Services Please Note: Repeat occurrences could result in loss of busing privileges

Missing Student Bus arrives at stop and caregiver informs driver student is missing Driver contacts ‘Dispatch.’ Dispatch calls school – at this point, between school and bus company, student is located Often a spouse/partner already picked student up at school

Missing Student Parents should phone police Student may have boarded wrong bus or is still at school NOT all schools take attendance, check with your school to determine current protocol After all possibilities have been exhausted by responsible person, school and bus company: Parents should phone police

Missing Items Bus companies are not responsible for items left on bus Check with driver on following trip Lost & found items are normally returned to school, not to bus company

Non-transportable Items For student safety and allergy reasons, some items are not transported according to Alberta Department of Transportation and Utilities: Animals Unsecured items ie: Large school projects, band instruments, skateboards, hockey sticks, etc. For a complete list of restricted items on all school buses refer to the school board transportation office or website. i.e. CBE administrative regulation Policy AR6096

In Closing We’re all part of the same Team: Parents/Responsible Person Schools School Boards Bus Companies Students The Team’s main goal is ‘Student Safety’ Let’s work together to make this our safest year ever

This Program Has Been Brought to You by the Following School Divisions:

This Program Has Been Brought to You by the Following Bus Companies:

A Special Thank You to our Sponsors:

Your Journey to Safety