Handbook of School Bus Policies and Expectations

Transcription

1 Handbook of School Bus Policies and Expectations Coney Island Prep Elementary School Updated: 7/2016

2 Yellow School Bus Expectations Reliability Behavior Communication What CIPES Commits: Communicate daily with OPT about bus issues and timeliness File reports about bus quality Maintain accurate family information and communicate it to OPT Set scholars up for success on the bus using structured dismissal procedures Incentivize good behavior Uphold bus behavior consequence system Communicate frequently, professionally, and directly Share all information we have ASAP Answer phones 7am-5pm and work to address family concerns What We Expect of Our Families: Call OPT (not the bus company) and call CIP to create records of lateness and incidents Arrive 5 minutes before the bus time, and wait 15 minutes after When all of our efforts to make the bus reliable fail, we count on you to get your scholar to school Review the Bus RULES with your scholars and reinforce good bus behavior at home Should your scholar receive a suspension, talk to them about improving behavior and bring them to school Communicate frequently, professionally, and directly Call the main office with dismissal changes by 12pm 1

3 Table of Contents Table of Contents CIPES Approach to School Buses... 3 OPT s Responsibilities... 4 Eligibility... 4 Yellow Bus Service... 5 Bus Company Family Communication: (718) OPT Family Communication: (718) CIPES s Responsibilities... 6 Accurate Reporting... 6 Managing Transportation Changes... 6 Family Communication... 6 Bus Safety... 7 Bus Misbehavior Consequences... 7 Families Responsibilities... 8 Scholar Behavior... 8 The List of Do s for the Bus... 9 Notifying the School of Dismissal Changes... 9 Be On Time Be Respectful Submitting OPT Violations Inclement Weather Who Do I Call? Bus Handbook Agreement

4 CIPES Approach to School Buses At Coney Island Prep Elementary School, our mission is to prepare every scholar to succeed in the college and career of their choice. We firmly believe that learning cannot take place amidst chaos, and that in order for us to fulfill our lofty mission, we need very high expectations regarding student behavior and conduct. These expectations extend beyond our school walls, and onto the school buses that take our scholars to and from Coney Island Prep each day. We offer yellow school buses because we want to give children who get into CIPES, but whose parents cannot bring them here every day, the ability to access our school. For scholars who take a yellow school bus, that bus ride is both the way that they start their school day, as well as how they end it. It is critically important that the start and end of the school day are calm, orderly, and reflective of the structured school environment we work so hard to create and maintain. To that end, we share the following information with you because we care about our scholars safety and want to work together to ensure that they have a positive start and end to their school day. Thousands of children around the city ride yellow school buses to and from school each day a tremendous expense for the Department of Education. As you know, limited funding means that each school bus has only one adult on it the driver. Thus, it is very important that understand and abide by the rules set forth in this Handbook and the instructions from the bus driver. The rules help make the bus ride a better managed and safer experience. We know that it may be difficult for you to find another way for you to get your child to and from school. Because we care about you and your scholar, we want to fully inform you about all that comes along with your use of the bus to get your scholar to and from school. Yellow school buses impact our school community in several ways: Student Academic Performance. When there are problems on the bus, students are more likely to be stressed and to complain at school. When scholars are stressed, it affects their academic performance. Riding the bus also keeps students from getting home as quickly to do homework or get rest as they might if they had an alternate form of transit. Happy Families. When your scholar comes home each day telling you stories about their school day, rather than stories about craziness on the bus, you are more likely to be happy and can focus your attention on the more important question of What did you learn at school today? We do not want to see families grow to dislike our school due to incidents which take place on the bus that are outside of our full control. Happy Students. When students come to school without having had issues on the bus, they are happy and ready to learn. We have seen students have trouble on the bus in the morning and carry frustration with them for much of the day. We need your support in preventing this. Happy Bus Drivers. Bus drivers select the schools whose routes they serve. The school does not select its bus drivers. When CIPES develops a strong bus reputation we will attract higher quality of bus drivers. We want the best bus drivers to want to ride with our kids! Happy drivers will provide CIPES and our families with a better service. Student Behavior and School Reputation. CIPES is a new school, and our staff and students are working hard to become leaders in New York City not only in scholar academic performance but also in student 3

5 character. What our scholars do on the bus reflects on our school community. We believe that CIPES scholars have the power to do what s right on the bus no matter what. The only way that they will learn to meet these expectations is if they experience the privilege being taken away. OPT s Responsibilities The Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) provides service to over 600,000 New York City students attending both public and non-public schools located within the five boroughs. Transportation services include stop-to-school busing, door-to-door busing, student MetroCards for use on NYC Transit subways and buses, and bus service for over 160,000 school field trips every year. Eligibility OPT is managed by the NYC Department of Education. All children who attend a NYC district or charter school may be eligible to receive free yellow bus service. Eligibility is determined by the child s grade and their family s distance from the school. The table below shows how OPT determines student eligibility for these services. GRADE LEVEL DISTANCE FROM RESIDENCE TO SCHOOL Less than ½ mile A* ½ mile or more, but less than 1 mile B* 1 mile or more but less than 1½ miles C* 1½ miles or more D* K-2 Not Eligible** Eligible for Full Fare Transportation 3-6 Transportation Not 7-12 Provided Not Eligible** For example, reading this table will show that: If you live less than a half mile from the school you are never eligible for yellow bus service. If your scholar is in Kindergarten, 1 st or 2 nd grade and you live more than a ½ mile from the school, you are eligible for yellow bus service. When your scholar is in 3 rd or 4 th grade, if you live less than one mile from the school, you will not be eligible for yellow bus service. When your scholar is in 3 rd or 4 th grade, if you live more than one mile from the school, you will be eligible for yellow bus service. CIPES can only permit students to ride the school bus if they are eligible for full fare transportation from OPT. You can find out more information about eligibility on the Department of Education website ( 4

6 Yellow Bus Service If a child is eligible for full fare transportation it means that they will have the option to take a yellow school bus to and from school. Stop Assignment. OPT will assign bus stops to each scholar as close to their family s residence as possible. The bus stop is listed as the cross streets of two roads. A bus stop services multiple families in a similar location. On average, families live 5 blocks from their closest yellow bus stop. A student may only use one bus stop. A student must use the same stop for the morning and afternoon and for each day of the week. Route Assignment. The bus will arrive at the stop in the morning and afternoon at an assigned time. OPT will put the stops into an order based on their distance from the school to create a bus route. Morning routes will start at farther stops and afternoon routes will end at the farthest stop. Each bus route is assigned a route number. Bus Driver. Bus drivers are unionized workers. Bus drivers are hired by OPT and given preference over what route they select. Only OPT has the power to hire and fire bus drivers. The driver is responsible for adhering to their route, following traffic laws, and supervising scholars while they are on the bus. OPT provided buses do NOT have matrons on them. The drivers are the only adult on the bus. Buses can have up to 50 scholars. Only adults trained by OPT can ride the school bus with the driver. Bus Company Family Communication: (718) OPT is responsible for hiring bus companies to service the routes. CIPES s routes are serviced by SNT. SNT is responsible for supplying the yellow school bus and managing the drivers. OPT oversees the bus company. CIPES does not pay the bus company or OPT for bus service. Bus service is free for the school and our families. As a result, CIPES does not have authority over OPT or the bus company. We coordinate with these agencies so that our scholars have the option of using free yellow bus service. Families should not communicate directly with SNT, but you should call OPT. OPT can tell you the location of your scholar s bus, but they will put you on hold while they locate your scholar s bus. CIPES is not able to contact drivers directly. When we call OPT, we receive information at the pace that parents do. OPT Family Communication: (718) OPT is responsible for notifying families in the event of a bus delay or incident. Again, CIPES is not able to contact drivers directly and we often receive updates at the same pace that parents do. In the event of a delay or emergency, CIPES does our best to assist OPT with communicating to families while ensuring our scholars safety. OPT should be your primary contact if bus issues arise. 5

7 If you want to know the location of your child s bus, you should call OPT. If you need information about your scholar s bus you should always contact OPT. If you have frustrations, concerns, or questions about your bus route or driver, we encourage you to make a formal complaint with OPT. They have a customer service line dedicated to questions from families. CIPES s Responsibilities CIPES coordinates with OPT and the bus company in attempt to provide our families with the most reliable and safe service. We do not control the safety and reliability of the yellow school buses. Accurate Reporting CIPES communicates student information to OPT online. Using an online registry, we sign each scholar up for their selected bus stop. CIPES will accurately report the names of scholars and the bus stops that they use to OPT. When you provide new information to us, we will provide OPT with your most up-to-date contact information including address and phone numbers. Managing Transportation Changes Every day, CIPES provides our teachers with a list of all the scholars who will be riding the bus that day and their stops. The list is updated based on absent scholars and changes to your scholar s method of transportation. We take thorough attendance before the bus leaves the school to make sure that every scholar on the list is on the bus. We spend at least an hour each day tracking the daily changes that families make to their scholar s dismissal so that we can share this with their classroom teachers. It is our utmost priority that at dismissal all Coney Island Prep scholars are in the correct place. Family Communication The CIPES Main Office is open M-F from 7am-5pm. During these times, we will assist OPT in communicating delays and accidents to families as soon as possible and in fielding your concerns. We do this in two ways: 1. Robocall: If we receive information from OPT about a significant delay (greater than 15 minutes) or accident, we will send an automated call to the preferred phone number that we have listed for all the scholars on a bus. This may show up as a voic or a private call on your phone. Please make sure to always have your phone with you during dismissal and to pick up all calls. 2. Individual Calls to Families. For more serious events, once we place the automated call, we will work to call families individually. With up to 50 students on each bus, it can take over 30 minutes to call all the affected families. This time can be elongated if we are receiving a high volume of incoming calls from families and/or are on the phone with OPT. You can call the school with certain questions about your scholars busing at (718) Some example questions that can be directed to the Main Office are: 6

8 1. Did my scholar get put on the bus? 2. Are the buses running today? 3. What time is dismissal? Bus Safety CIPES has the most control over what happens on the bus during the 10 minutes each afternoon that we spend loading the school buses. Below are the ways that CIPES maximizes these 10 minutes to keep your scholars safe during the remainder of the bus ride. Once the buses pull away from CIPES, OPT is responsible for bus safety. 1. Bus Loaders. Each of our buses is assigned two or more CIPES staff members who serve as bus captains and who load the bus. Classroom teachers bring scholars from the fourth floor to the cafeteria. It is the job of the bus captain to transition the scholars from the cafeteria onto the school bus. 2. Assigned Seating. As needed and with input from the Operations team, our bus captains create an assigned seating chart for the afternoon bus. Assigned seating will be based on past bus behavior. The bus captain will ensure that every scholar is sitting in their assigned seat when the bus leaves. 3. Seat Buckles. Bus captains make sure that every scholar is buckled tightly into their seat before the bus leaves the school. The bus captains check that the aisles are clear and bottoms are flat in their seats. 4. Bus Rules. Bus captains enforce bus rules during the bus loading process. Below are the rules that all students are expected to follow. Bus captains review the bus rules every day before the bus leaves the school. If our staff observe a scholar breaking bus rules, that scholar will not be allowed to ride the bus and their parent will be called to come get them. If any scholar refuses to line up or load the bus, they will not be put on the bus and their parent will come get them from school. Bus Rules: Remain seated with your backpack on your back Use your inside voices Listen to 100% of the driver s directions the first time, every time Everyone s hands to themselves and feet on the floor Stay seated with your seatbelt buckled Inappropriate behavior includes: Hitting, kicking, punching or any other form of dangerous physical contact. Moving around the bus while it is in transit. Placing belongings in the aisles. Talking in loud, distracting voices. Not following directions the first time. Bus Misbehavior Consequences Coney Island Prep Elementary School requires a written report of scholar misbehavior from the bus driver to take disciplinary action. The drivers are the only adults on the bus to witness misbehavior. Bus drivers submit OPT issued bus incident reports to the school within 24 hours of the incident. Once we receive a report, we will contact the scholar s family, speak to the child, and document the report appropriately. CIPES has a tiered consequence 7

9 system for scholars who receive a bus report. Below are the consequences that you can expect if your scholar receives an OPT bus write up. Each time there is a write up, we will do all of the things listed below the offense. Offenses 1 st Offense 2 nd Offense 3 rd Offense 4 th Offense 5 th Offense OPT report indicates Written 1 week bus 2 week bus 1 month bus Loss of bus scholar broke bus rules warning suspension suspension suspension privileges for or engaged in Parent phone Parent phone Scholar and In person up to the inappropriate behavior call call family scholar and remainder of Scholar conversation with school leader Scholar conversation with school leader conversation with school leader family conversation with school leader the year CIPES staff observe scholar break bus rule before bus has departed or scholar refuses to load bus Significant Offense Scholar will not be allowed to ride the bus, the parent will be called to come pick up their scholar, and the same consequences as above will be applied. Up to and including Permanent Loss of Bus Privileges and School Suspension In the event of a significant offense, the consequence will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Significant offenses can include but are not limited to violent physical behavior, sexual behavior, acts that impede the safety of the bus driver, or bringing a dangerous item onto the bus. Depending on the severity, a student could permanently lose bus privileges, even for a first offense. In the event of a significant offense, the student will be suspended the day the student is written up or the following day. It will be the parents responsibility to pick the student up from school that day. Families Responsibilities Scholar Behavior We expect families to teach their scholar about bus rules and expectations. Bus Rules: Remain seated with your backpack on your back Use your inside voices Listen to 100% of the driver s directions the first time, every time Everyone s hands to themselves and feet on the floor Stay seated with your seatbelt buckled Inappropriate behavior includes: Hitting, kicking, punching or any other form of dangerous physical contact. Moving around the bus while it is in transit. Placing belongings in the aisles. Talking in loud, distracting voices. Not following directions the first time. 8

10 We understand that having a large group of students on a bus with limited adult supervision lends itself to situations that can make it challenging for students to follow the rules. However, for the safety of every single scholar we expect at all times that regardless of the circumstance, students follow the bus rules. Enforcing these rules and creating these behavioral expectations requires a partnership between CIPES and families. There are some behaviors that we have seen students do that simply should never happen, and we have written a list below to help you communicate to your child how they should behave on the bus. This list of Do s is below so you can review them with your scholar. The List of Do s for the Bus Use appropriate language - the same language you would use at school. If you aren t sure if language is appropriate, ask a teacher or the bus driver privately. Find better words to use than curse words. While you wait for the bus in the morning, stand where you re supposed to and wait for your bus. Clean up after yourself and keep objects to yourself. Do not throw anything on or off of the bus. Take everything you bring onto the bus back off when you leave. Keep all parts of your body to yourself. Talk only with those around you, not those outside of the bus. Keep spit in your mouth. Use your normal, inside voice. Don t yell. Stay in your seat. Don t engage in horseplay or mischief. Stay on your bus until you get to your stop. Only exit the bus when you have permission and when you see an adult waiting for you. Always tell your bus driver your name if your bus driver asks. If your bus driver asks you a question, you answer. Stay in your seat, keep your body inside of the bus and away from the windows. Be nice to the other kids on the bus. Include others. Keep your hands to yourself, use self control and don t hit back if others hit you. Only bring things on the bus that you are allowed to have at school. Treat the bus with respect. Leave it looking the way you found it., or better Walk, and keep your hands to yourself. Eat and drink snacks before and after the bus ride, not during. Sit down in your seat the whole ride. Sit in your assigned seat. Speak respectfully to the bus driver and follow the driver s rules. Follow directions. Notifying the School of Dismissal Changes If your child who normally rides the school bus needs to be picked up, you must notify the school in a timely manner. This is because our main office team needs time to organize and print the afternoon bus lists, which 9

11 indicate to our teachers and staff where students should go during dismissal. This list needs to be put together serveral hours before our dismissal time. Before 12:00 pm. You must call the school before 12:00pm to make a change to how your scholar will be dismissed. Continue to call the school until you speak to a member of the Main Office. The only way to ensure that your changes will be made is to speak directly with the Office Manager, Operations Manager, or Director of Operations. We expect that families will create a dismissal routine and only need to change their scholar s dismissal with outstanding circumstances. We cannot accommodate changes made after these times. We devote time before dismissal to ensuring that all 125 students are in the correct place. By calling close to dismissal, you jeopardize the school s ability to create accurate lists. Be On Time We expect families to be at their scholar s bus stop on time. Plan to arrive at your scholar s stop 15 minutes before the scheduled arrival time for the bus. If you are not at the stop on time, the bus will continue the route with your scholar still on board. The bus will not be able to return to your stop. You must meet the bus at a later stop or at the school (where it will return at the end of the route. Because the buses return to the school more than an hour and a half after dismissal, if the bus driver brings your child back to the school, your child will be suspended from the bus according to the following system. Note that on Wednesdays, the bus sometimes continues on to complete other routes for students who do not attend Coney Island Prep before coming back to our school. This can be scary for your child. Bus Suspension System for Scholars Brought Back to CIPES by the School Bus 1 st and 2 nd time your scholar is brought back We understand that things happen. We will speak to you about to the school by the bus solutions to help you prevent this from recurring. 3 rd time The student s bus privileges will be revoked for 3 days, starting the next school day. 4 th time The student s bus privileges will be revoked for one week, starting the next school day. 5 th time The student s bus privileges will be revoked for one month, starting the next school day. 6 th time The student s bus privileges will be revoked for the remainder of the year. When your child is not picked up at the bus stop on time, you delay the remainder of the route. This inconveniences other families in our school community and the bus driver. When your scholar is brought back to 10

12 school, you impact the personal time of the bus driver and school staff who have already completed a 10 hour workday. Be Respectful We expect families to be respectful of the bus drivers. You can show your respect for the bus drivers by being on time and having your child ready to board the bus. Do not give your child food to eat on the bus. Bus drivers are responsible for keeping the bus clean of trash and crumbs. During morning arrival do not cut off the bus drivers. Stay five feet behind buses when they are unloading students. Parents are not allowed to enter the bus at any time. If you need to talk to the bus driver, do so from outside the bus. We expect families to be respectful of school staff. Our school staff care about you, work hard to make this school the best one possible for your child, and will always do our best to assist you with any bus concerns. We will maintain all the promises made in this Bus Handbook and advocate on behalf of families for high quality bus service. There are limitations to the actions we can take to address family concerns. In all situations, we will let you know what we can do and what we cannot do. Submitting OPT Violations If families have complaints about bus service, they can submit an official violation to OPT. All violations are recorded and saved by OPT. When OPT receives violations they are able to take action to correct bus driver behavior or bus issues. The more violations the OPT receives about a certain concern, the more likely they are to take action. You can submit a violation by calling the OPT customer service line. Below are some of the reasons families have submitted violations: 1. Bus is Late in the Morning. If the bus is more than 20 minutes late to the stop a violation can be submitted. Buses are most often late if there is a substitute driver or there is bad weather. 2. Bus is Late in the Afternoon. The bus rides routes for others schools before our afternoon routes. If the driver finishes these routes late it will impact his/her ability to run our routes on time. If the bus driver is more than 20 minutes late to your stop, you can submit a violation. 3. Bus Accidents. Buses get in traffic accidents. Buses are required to wait at the accident site until a police report is made and emergency medics check every student. This accident policy protects families and scholars. If the bus is in an accident, you can submit a violation. 4. Unsafe Bus Driver Behavior. If you see the bus driver disobeying traffic laws you can submit a violation. If the bus driver drops off scholars at a stop without a parent or guardian present, you can submit a violation. Inclement Weather If there is bad weather, CIPES follows the Department of Education s decision about school closings for New York City. You can find the most up to date information about school closing at If school is open, buses will operate. 11

13 However, with bad weather (rain or snow) buses often experience extreme delays due to traffic, and sometimes, unsafe driving conditions. It is your responsibility to bring your child to school in the case of a bus delay due to inclement weather. Please plan ahead - coordinate with your family, friends, and other families you know who send their children to CIPES - so that you might plan carpooling or designate an adult who can bring the children via public transit in the case of bad weather. That said, your child s safety is the most important concern for all of us - so please call our Main Office if you believe that you do not have a safe way to bring your scholar to school. Our absent and tardy policy as it relates to buses and inclement weather is as follows: Tardies: If your child is tardy due to a bus delay this will not be noted in their attendance record. We understand that if the bus is late, your child will be late and that this is due to no fault of yours or theirs. We will mark them as on time in our system. Absences: Absences due to a bus delay or failure to show up will be unexcused. Please have an alternate plan for how your child will get to school in the event that the bus does not show up. 12

14 Who Do I Call? For the fastest service, you should make sure to know your scholar s route number and your scholar s student number. Below are some examples of questions with information about who to call. For Questions or Concerns Like Who to Call: Am I eligible for a bus stop? Why is my child s bus always late/early? Are there any delays due to weather? Where is my scholar s bus right now? Why are there no matrons on this bus? The bus driver was rude to me. There was an incident with my child and another child on the bus that the driver did not write up. How is behavior managed on the bus? Where is my scholar right now? Where is my child s bus? Office of Pupil Transportation: (718) NOTE: You must have your route number ready! And we recommend you have your child s 9-digit student ID (OSIS number). Watermelon: AM K2189, PM K9165 Pineapple: AM K2187, PM K9133 Strawberry: AM K2165, PM K9182 Office of Pupil Transportation: (718) NOTE: You must have your route number ready! Watermelon: AM K2189, PM K9165 Pineapple: AM K2187, PM K9133 Strawberry: AM K2165, PM K9182 I want to pick up my scholar today instead of putting them on the bus. Can I request a new bus stop? My scholar does not ride the school bus. Are they eligible to receive a Metro Card? Did my scholar get put on the bus? I want to call OPT to express some concerns, but I need more information or would like the support of CIPES in communicating my concerns to OPT. CIPES Main Office: (718) NOTE: You must call the CIPES Main Office before 12 pm in order to change your scholar s method of transportation in the afternoon. 13

15 Bus Handbook Agreement I have read and understand Bus Handbook for Coney Island Prep Elementary School. By signing, I agree to follow the rules and expectations set forth in this Handbook. Student Name (Print) Parent Name (Print) Parent Signature (Sign) Date (Tear Off and Return to School) 14