In this school year, 25 million children will board school buses to go to school. It’s our responsibility to make sure they reach their destination safely. At Jay’s Bus Service we are committed to transporting the tens of thousands of students that depend on us daily to get to and back from school safely.
Bus drivers have a tremendous responsibility and most of them do it very well. They need all the cooperation and support from parents they can get. Patience isn’t just a virtue when you’re hauling several busloads a day; it’s a necessity! Besides making sure the driver’s attention is focused on the task at hand, driving the bus, we also want our children’s behavior to facilitate that task. Children screaming, playing loud music on their gadgets, jumping up and down, fighting, and generally making a mess does not help.
Children need to be reminded that disruptive behavior on a bus can lead to a crash. It is important for our children to know that they can avoid potentially dangerous behaviors. In this article, the employees from the Lakewood, NJ transportation company Jay’s Bus Service, explain what our children need to understand so that they can avoid potentially dangerous behavior.
Expectations on school grounds
Buses cannot drop off and pick up at schools at the exact time the school starts and ends, so children must be taught appropriate behavior while waiting. As a best practice, there should be an aide with the children; however, it is unrealistic to expect that every school will have an aide available when the children get out of class. It is therefore necessary to teach children where to meet their peers, the bus, etc, explain from the premier school bus service, Jay’s Bus Service,
Ask the children what they would like to do while waiting and give them ideas. Consequences should be established along with expectations. In the event that they do not meet the bus on time, what will happen? What happens if they leave the school grounds? When school property is vandalized, what happens?
Getting on and off the bus
There is no reason to assume that children understand safety when getting on and off the bus. Children should be taught to go immediately to their assigned seat when boarding the bus. In cases where a child’s seat on the bus changes regularly, the aide or driver is responsible for telling them where to sit. With or without adult assistance, the child should immediately go to their seat and buckle up.
When multiple children are getting on at one stop, they must learn patience, waiting until each one gets into their seats. Getting to their seat may also require one child to move around or over another child. As children move over and around each other, they must be respectful of the other person’s body.
The goal is to complete all boarding and de-boarding on the streetside of the school; however, this may not always be possible. It is therefore important to consider street safety when children get off the bus. The best way to begin is to stop, look, and listen.
This is the most basic but most comprehensive way to teach children how to be safe around cars. When getting on the bus as well as getting off, it’s important to stop, look, and listen. There is no guarantee that children can be dropped off and picked up where they won’t need to cross traffic, so crosswalks, crosswalk signals, crossing guards, etc., must be taught, advise form Jay’s Bus Service.
Educating them about the basics can prevent terrible accidents. Children should be accompanied by an aide when crossing the street; however, even then, they need to understand the rules. In a situation where the aide is caring for multiple children, knowing and understanding the rules is essential.
There are also danger zones around the bus that children should be aware of. For example, they should not stand behind or around the bus. They should always be able to be seen in the side mirrors by the driver.
Every safety rule should begin in the classroom, no matter what type it is. Having regular transportation lessons can ensure that children are consistently reminded of safety, as well as that new children who enroll in the program receive information about safety.
After children have discussed and practiced safety rules in the classroom, transportation staff should practice with them on the bus. Likewise, this should be included in the curriculum. Consistency is key when dealing with children.