Page 38 - School Bus Operators and Attendants Handbook

of the bus while in operation. The district school board shall have measures in place designed to
protect the school Bus Driver from threats or physical injury from students.

The Bus Driver and Attendant should use the following procedures for transportation of students
whose behavior disrupts peace, order, and safety of the bus:

 Despite disruptions or misconduct, the Bus Driver is expected to make every effort to continue
the route until all students are unloaded at the school or to their assigned bus stop. If warranted,
the driver should contact Dispatch to notify the principal or his/her designee to meet the bus at
the school if a morning run, or to meet the bus the following morning at the school if on an
afternoon route.
 Never return students to the school without prior approval from Dispatch. Before requesting
permission to return to the school for disciplinary action, the driver should consider if the bus is
closer to the students stop and should continue on the route and deal with the discipline issue
the next morning. Should student(s) poor behavior escalate to the point where it is unsafe for the
driver to operate the school bus, the bus should be pulled over in a safe location and dispatch
contacted for assistance. Drivers should never operate the bus when they are distracted to the
point where the safety of all passengers, including the driver are at risk.
 If approval is granted, driver must return to the school within 30 minutes of the school dismissal
bell. The Coordinator shall call the school to have the principal or his/her designee meet the bus
upon arrival.

Use of Cell Phones by Students:

 Never let a student borrow your cell phone. You may receive this request in situations
such as on activity routes when a student may want their parent to be at the bus stop in
15 minutes or perhaps a student is not feeling well and would like a parent to pick them
up at the bus stop. Contact the facility with the phone number that the student wants to
call and let the dispatcher make the call.

Student Suspension from the Bus

Bus Drivers or attendants do not have the authority to suspend a student from the bus or to let a
student off the bus at an unauthorized stop. Only the school principal may suspend a student from
riding the bus:

 If a suspended student boards the bus at the morning (AM) stop, the driver should transport that
student to school. The driver should complete a Student Discipline Referral Form (0279) and
submit form to a supervisor upon return to the facility.
 If a suspended student boards the bus in the afternoon (PM), the driver should contact Dispatch
to ask that a school designee report to the bus. If the school designee directs the Bus Driver to
transport the student anyway, a referral should be completed and submitted to a supervisor
upon return to the facility.

Page 38 of 149
Student Management