School Bus Safety & Rules

School Bus Rules

The Bus Driver’s job is to safely transport students to and from school. Because safety on the bus is the top priority, the Bus Driver is the authority on the school bus. In order to minimize distracted driving and ensure a safe ride, Students are required to obey the
following rules. Failure to comply with school bus rules may result in disciplinary action, including suspension of bus riding privileges.

  1. The Driver is the authority on the bus
  2. Stay seated flat and facing forward while the bus is moving at all times. Bus isles must be clear at all times. Arms, legs, and objects are not to be in the isle at any time while the bus is moving. Moving from seat to seat is not allowed.
  3. Listen to the drivers instructions.
  4. Keep noise at a minimum by using classroom voices.
  5. Discard trash in the school bus trash can when exiting the bus.
  6. Cell phone use is permitted with headphones only
  7. Cell phones may not be used in taking photos of any type on the school bus, due to the privacy of students in the background who do not wish to be in the photos. Failure to follow this policy may result in confiscation of the student’s cell phone until they exit the bus at the end of the day. If this rule is repeatedly violated, the driver may confiscate the cell phone, and a parent or guardian will be required to pick up the phone from the transportation office.
  8. Windows are to remain closed unless driver instructs otherwise. No part of the body is allowed outside of the window when the bus is moving.
  9. At no time should an object be thrown out of school bus windows. This will result in automatic suspension from the bus.
  10. ALA code of conduct at school will still be enforced while being transported on the school bus.
  11. By ALA Policy, there can be no eating on the bus, as this presents a choking hazard.
  12. No activating emergency exit or any other alarms on the bus. Failure to follow this rule will result in automatic suspension from the bus.

More Transportation Information

  • If your student is requesting another student to ride along for a day, please place your request 24 hours prior to the date requested to ensure there is room on the bus. Please keep in mind, you can only have 3 requests a school year.
  • Any Kinder/1st grade rider need to complete the K/1st grade form. Those riders either need to be accompanied by a sibling or met at a stop by an approved person on the list.

Questions about our local bus routes and modes of transportation? Get the details from our parent resource page or contact us directly for information. 

Contact Us

Discipline

Disciplinary actions will be taken with each infraction. (A total suspension of bus riding privileges may occur even on the first infraction at the discretion of the school director.)

  • A student may be denied transportation privileges for violating transportation rules. When school bus rules are violated and/or cause danger to students, drivers, or others, the following actions will be taken:
    • The parent(s) will be notified of the student’s misconduct and notice that transportation privileges will be withdrawn if the student’s conduct does not improve.
    • In emergency situations or for extremely serious misconduct, transportation privileges may be revoked without prior notice.
    • Suspension of bus privileges for up to one school year may be imposed at the director’s discretion.
  • A student may be suspended or expelled from school for violating transportation rules.

Changes in Route

 Once your student has been approved and assigned a route, this will not guarantee availability for your student if you move outside the boundaries of current route. Your approval process will start over, with the possibility of being added to a wait list. Any changes made to a Transportation Request must be made by the Parent/Guardian who is listed as the head of household where the student is being bussed to and cleared with the Transportation Department two (2) business days before the change takes effect.

Cancellations

 If your student no longer needs transportation, you must submit a written or verbal  notice one week prior to cancellation date. This will remove the student’s name from the roster and avoid any additional fees in Infinite Campus. Fee adjustments will be made according to cancellation date. All inactive and canceled bus requests will be kept on file until the end of the current school year. A new bus request will not need to be filled out when making request changes or reactivating canceled services. This can be done by calling the Transportation Office at 480-987-4500 ext. 1206, or emailing us at transportation@alaschools.org.