School Site Transportation Team

General

            Parents, teachers, administrators, students and transportation personnel all need to work together to develop and implement a safe and successful student transportation plan for each school.  A dedicated School Transportation Team can and will make a positive impact on student behavior, safety, and the quality of transportation services and help reduce complaints.  

Members of the Team

            Members and composition of the School Site Transportation Team vary with the number of buses, the complexity of school vehicular traffic patterns, student conduct and the school level.

            As a minimum, the team should consist of the principal or designated administrator / teacher responsible for transportation issues at the school, a school security representative where one is assigned, drivers and at least one student from each bus.

            When drivers are made to feel as part of the school staff and administrators and teachers consider the school bus as an extension of the classroom, a supportive and cooperative relationship will exist.  Occasional meetings between school administrators and their drivers with other members of the transportation team to discuss school policies, procedures and issues helps provide an open channel of communication and lays the foundation for a viable transportation program at the school.  Drivers who are able to talk freely with principals and assistant principals don’t talk about them in the driver’s room and vice-versa.  (“We” versus “Us” and “Them”)

Starting the Year Right

            The schools, parents and students who are eligible for transportation services will receive written information prior to the school year informing them of routing information.  The school bus rules will be part of the packet sent to parents.  To reinforce the importance of bus safety and school bus rules, students should be met on the first day of school and periodically thereafter by administrators, teachers and drivers to review the school bus safety rules.

            During the first week of school, having a teacher or administrator assigned to assist drivers with identifying students by name and helping to assign seating is extremely beneficial.

            Schools that have administrators, teachers and security personnel at the school to meet and greet buses and drivers and are also involved in the departure process, experience fewer problems with student misconduct on the bus.  Fewer student misconduct problems also contributes significantly to safe driving.  When building administrators display a proactive interest in student behavior on the bus – things go better for all concerned!

Throughout the School Year 

          Daily interaction between drivers and administrators, even just a brief – “How did it go this morning?” will help show students that the school administration has an active interest in appropriate student behavior on the bus.  This approach will help resolve student misconduct problems immediately and at the lowest level.

            Ongoing support by administrators is essential in maintaining a safe school bus environment and program for the school.  Unfortunately, in some schools, there continues to be a split in the perceived and assumed responsibilities between school building personnel and the bus driver.  When school administrators see their responsibility terminating when students exit the school, drivers find that they are the recipients of an unruly group of students.  Appropriate behavior must be established prior to boarding the bus.

            Discipline on buses should be a top priority for administrators.  Regular communication and strong relationships between drivers and school administrators will go a long way toward creating a safe environment on the bus.  If drivers are considered part of the school staff, students are likely to think twice before victimizing them than if the drivers have weak links to school authorities.  The School Site Transportation Team will contribute to creating that positive environment.