Bus Regulations
The following rules and regulations ensure the safest, most enjoyable and efficient transportation for your children.
- Students must be at the bus stop on time.
- Students should enter the bus, be seated in allocated seats as quickly as possible and fasten seat belts
- Upon leaving bus, children should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before standing to exit. Standing is not permitted on a moving bus.
- Children should exit single file in an orderly manner and walk away from the bus.
- The Bus Monitor of each school bus shall be responsible for the order and conduct of the pupils transported.
- The Bus Monitor has the responsibility to assign seats to each child traveling on the bus.
- upils should obey promptly and willingly to any directive from the bus monitor.
- Outside of ordinary conversation, classroom conduct is to be observed. Shouting, or inappropriate language and behaviours are unacceptable.
- Pupils must remain seated with feet on the floor in front of them, not in the aisle or draped over the seat back. Students must sit facing forward while the bus is in motion.
- Pupils will not extend hands, arms, heads or objects from the bus windows at any time.
- Students may not open or close windows.
- Pupils may not throw any object including trash or paper either from within or out of the bus while waiting for, riding, or after leaving the bus.
- Eating and drinking food and beverages on the bus is prohibited.
- Neither food nor liquids are permitted on the bus except in school snack/lunch bags.
- Parents wanting to make arrangements their children to take a bus on an occasional basis must communicate with the School Office to confirm space is available. No Student will be allowed to ride as an occasional rider without parental permission being communicated to the School Office.
- The student bus monitors will be the first students to leave the bus. In order to further enhance the safety of the children riding the buses, we request that all bus monitors follow the following procedures when children are exiting the buses at Meister Gardens.
- Student bus monitors exit the bus first
- Remaining students exit by year group—older kids first so they can help the younger ones
- All students are to remain seated until it is their turn to exit
- Students remain in place on the rope while they wait for all students to disembark
Pupils transported in a school bus shall be under the authority of, and responsible directly to, the adult bus monitor representing SMIS. Continued disorderly conduct or persistent refusal to submit to the authority of the bus monitor shall be sufficient reason for refusing transportation to any pupil. The adult bus monitors of any school bus are responsible for the order and conduct of the pupils transported. They are required to report any misbehavior by students on the bus directly to the school office.
School Bus Conduct
Students who come to school on the bus should return home on the bus unless they have a note from their parent/guardian. Riding the school bus is a privilege. Improper conduct will result in suspension from riding the bus. All students on the bus are under the authority of the bus monitor and must obey his/her rules. The school monitors will report any misconduct to the school office immediately.
School Bus Conduct Policy
The school bus is an extension of school activity; therefore, SMIS expects students to conduct themselves on the bus in a manner consistent with the established standards for safety and classroom behavior.
Students are under the supervision and control of the bus monitor while on the bus and all reasonable directions given by the monitor shall be followed.
The Head of School shall be informed by the office staff or bus duty staff member of any serious discipline problem and may be called upon to assist if necessary. A student may be denied the privilege of riding the bus if determined by the Head of School that their behavior is such as to cause disruption on the bus. Parents must provide transportation to and from school should they be denied transportation because of suspension.
Any student wishing to ride a school bus other than their designated bus, or for occasional use, must have written parental permission and prior approval from the Head of School.
Incident Reports
The bus monitor will send the incident report to the office. The Head of School will discuss the bus incident report issue with parent/guardian by phone, in person, or in writing. The incident report is to be signed by the parent/guardian and returned to the school the following school day. Below are the consequences for receiving a bus incident report.
- Verbal and Written Warning.
- Suspension from bus. (This will be open-ended, from one day or longer, as determined by the Head of School—no refund of bus fees).
