The Transportation Department is excited to continue its alternative fuel bus program for the 2022-2023 school year. Transportation Department mechanics continue to keep all our buses in top mechanical condition and have again achieved an outstanding Department of Transportation rating of 99.4 percent. Every bus in the fleet is inspected by the New York State Department of Transportation every six months, and serviced every 3,000 miles.
Bus Routes and Stops
In an ongoing effort to keep our students safe, bus routes are no longer printed on the school website or in the local newspapers. Notification for student bus information will be available in late August through the district’s Parent Portal. Students are required to ride their assigned bus only. In the event of an extenuating circumstance, an email must be sent to the transportation office and to the building principal. Buses will only pick up and drop off at posted stops. Students who are assigned to ride a bus will not be allowed to walk without written permission.
Please remember to have your student at the bus stop five minutes prior to their scheduled pick up time. Keep in mind that pick up and drop off times may vary slightly during the first few weeks of school, and your actual pick up and drop off time may end up being different from the original time provided in the parent portal. As a result, check the parent portal often.
If you have a safety concern regarding your student’s bus stop, submit a Bus Stop Review Request and our safety team will review each request individually.
Childcare Transportation Requests
Parents who would like their child to be transported to and from a child care provider’s location must submit a new Childcare Transportation Request form each year for each student in the family. Deadline is July 26. If you miss the deadline, please contact the Transportation Department.
Private and Parochial Transportation
State law requires parents who are enrolling children in private or parochial schools to file an application for special transportation with their local school district by April 1. Failure to file on time could result in transportation being denied. Students may only be registered in one school. For transportation information, send a written request to: Supervisor of Transportation, P.O. Box 595, Warwick, N.Y., 10990-0595.
Student Safety
Our first priority is the safety of our students. All district personnel have been trained to handle bus emergencies. In accordance with the State Education Department regulations, three bus safety drills will be conducted each school year. The first drill will be held within the first seven days of school.
School buses are the safest mode of transportation for your children and are designed to protect them in the event of a crash. To take full advantage of the safety features a bus has to offer, it is important that your child is seated within the confines of the bus seat.
Unruly behavior on the bus is a safety concern and a distraction to the driver. The bus driver and/or school administrator has the authority to assign seats at any time during the school year. Please reinforce the importance of bus safety with your children.
Seat belts are available on all buses. If you want your child to wear a seat belt while riding, please make sure they can operate the belt and you have instructed them to do so. All district buses are equipped with video cameras, which allows us to review any concerns parents may have relating to their child’s bus ride.
Students should ride their assigned bus only. Students are not permitted to ride an alternate bus or “switch” buses to or from school for sleepovers, play dates, birthday parties or other activities outside of school. Your student’s school office and the transportation office must be notified of any bus or bus stop changes before students board in the morning and prior to dismissal. Changes to a student’s afternoon bus, which include picking up your student, must be made by 1 p.m. prior to dismissal. As always, in the event of an emergency, exceptions will be permitted.
In accordance with New York State law, all school buses are equipped with seat belts, three per seat, for your child’s safety. Seat belt use is encouraged by our drivers and staff. Please take a moment to discuss with your child the importance of using a seat belt on the bus, and remind your student how important it is to remain seated whenever they are on the bus to ensure a safe ride to and from school for everyone.
Bus Safety Drills
Bus safety drills are conducted three times a year. The first drill will occur during the first full week of school. Each drill includes instructions regarding the location, and operation of the emergency exits, fire extinguisher, two-way radio, and first aid kit. Students are instructed about what to do in an emergency, how to exit the bus safely, safe loading and unloading procedures, and the importance of proper conduct while on the bus. A mini-drill is also conducted prior to every athletic event or field trip.
About our Drivers
The district’s bus drivers complete extensive training before they are permitted to drive a school bus. A background check is performed on each applicant before he/she obtains a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) permit. He/she must then pass a physical exam and drug/alcohol test prior to training. The candidate is then trained by a primary trainer and must pass a road test from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Upon passing, the candidate will be recommended to the Board of Education for hiring as a substitute driver.
As required by the New York State Education Department, all new drivers must complete a 3-hour pre-service Class and physical performance test prior to driving students. Also, a 30-hour comprehensive Basic bus driver course must be completed within the first year of service. All school bus drivers and monitors attend a mandatory two-hour safety refresher twice a year and are subject to a yearly defensive driving review, road test and license reviews.