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School buses are extensions of the school and are governed by similar rules of behavior. Riding a school bus is a privilege. The school authorities, the bus operators, and the police work closely to ensure safe operations of all buses. Parental cooperation is also a necessity.

State law strictly prohibits the use of the school bus for any reason other than school transportation, except in cases of emergencies. Emergency use of the school buses may be granted by permission of the Superintendent of Schools. In his absence, the principal of the school may make this judgment, notifying the Superintendent of Schools in writing of the incident (School Committee vote January 31, 1966). Private lessons, occasional jobs, birthday parties, club or organizational meetings, religious education, and other occasions of pupil or parent inconvenience do not constitute emergencies. Children may not switch buses for these reasons.

Objects brought on the bus must be small enough to be carried in a school or book bag, held in one’s own lap, or at one’s feet, and should not extend into the aisle. All other items, such as large musical instruments or curriculum projects, must be transported to and from school by the parent.

Students are not allowed to eat or drink anything while traveling to and from school. This long established practice eliminates the potential danger of children choking or being exposed to a substance to which they may be extremely allergic and which cannot be monitored by the bus driver during the route.

It is Marshfield School Policy to allow only authorized adults (school and public safety personnel) to board school buses carrying students. If you need your child once they have boarded the bus at school, please ask the assistance of one of our school staff to help locate your child. At the bus stop, if you need to communicate with your child, please convey your wish to the bus driver.

SCHOOL BUS TRANSFERS / DAY CARE POLICY

Transfers for day care or babysitting may be allowed, provided that there is space available on the bus. The requested bus drop off point must be on an existing bus route within the school district and must be on a permanently defined basis; i.e., same day(s) every week, monthly, or for the year. The parent/guardian must send a letter of request to the building principal, including the telephone number of the contact person in case of emergency. Should space for regular riders on the bus become a problem, responsibility for student transportation will revert back to the parent/guardian in a transfer situation. Parents will be notified in writing of this situation by the building principal or his/her designee.

Children should understand that they must go directly home after school and report to their parent/guardian and only then may they go to a friend’s home.

Students may get off their same bus at a different bus stop if they bring a note to school that day. The note must be given to the classroom teacher.

RETURN OF STUDENTS TO SCHOOL

Please note, if a bus driver delivering a kindergarten or grade 1 student to his/her home becomes aware of the apparent absence of the parent/guardian or other responsible adult, it is a school policy to return the student to their respective school until such time the child can be released to a parent/guardian. If a student in kindergarten through grade 5 misses their regularly scheduled bus stop during the afternoon route, this same procedure will be followed after the bus driver calls the dispatcher to notify the school of the student’s return.

BUS CONDUCT PROCEDURES

Rules are observed on the school bus so children do not cause an accident or get hurt. We expect children to be courteous to the drivers who have such a great responsibility with children. Bus drivers (and, at times, school personnel) are required to file written reports on students who engage in disruptive or disrespectful behavior while riding to or from school on a Marshfield school bus. The following are some procedures that would follow:

· A bus report, made out by the bus driver in triplicate, would go to the assistant principal, or is generated by the assistant principal in charge of buses. The assistant principal (or the principal) would speak to the student or students involved explaining the danger of the conduct or incident and the appropriate behavior in the circumstance. The child is given a consequence depending on the severity of the offense (i.e. to give both a verbal and written apology to the offended child or adult; to temporarily have his/her seat changed).

· The parent is notified by a phone call regarding the incident.

· One copy of the bus report, signed by the assistant principal or the principal, is sent home. One copy of the report is given to the bus driver and one is kept on file in the school office.

· If there is a second offense, the child is again spoken to; the principal is informed of the incident; and the parent is again called. The bus slip is sent home with a second check. The child is again given a reasonable consequence if necessary. At this time, the child and parent are informed that if a third offense were to occur, the child may be suspended from the bus for a length of time.

· If there is a third offense, a bus slip is sent home with three checks. The principal consults with the parent, and a bus suspension most likely will occur, depending on the circumstance.

· In all bus incidents, whenever there is any question concerning an incident or misbehavior, the case is carefully investigated so that each child is fairly treated and the facts of the situation are substantiated. The child’s teacher is notified in all incidents.

· If at any time an offense is extreme (such as opening the emergency door or causing serious damage to the bus), a bus suspension will be immediate.

If you have any concerns or questions at any time, please do not hesitate to call the assistant principal in charge of buses or the principal.