Video Underscores Continued Issue Of School Bus Safety

With little ones rushing to and from the school bus, we all worry about their safety on the streets. But, you won’t believe your eyes when you see the video a CityNews viewer sent us.

Farah Nasser has the eye-opener that shows east end drivers behaving badly.

Beyond the emphasis on drivers taking into consideration school bus rules, parents and teachers are being encouraged to make sure that students are familiar with the following safety tips:

• Use 10 giant steps as a guide to take you away from the front of the bus
• Be sure you can see the driver and that the driver sees you
• Watch for the driver’s signal that it is safe to cross
• Listen and look both ways to be sure it is safe before you cross
• If you drop anything in front of the bus, leave it – never stop to pick it up
• Walk – never run – across the street.

And here are some more school bus guidelines that every parent should know:

• The bus driver should let students on and off at the nearest curbside in front of their residence and school. Parents are responsible for getting their youngster to the appropriate place.
• A driver can’t leave any student at the drop off point unless they’re met by a ‘responsible adult’.
• The driver can’t leave a child alone or in the care of someone they don’t know.
• Drivers can’t drop off kindergarten students any earlier than ten minutes before the start of class,
• Drivers are required to wait a minimum of two minutes for each student.
• All drivers must have a current and valid certificate in first aid and receive Epipen training.

If the ‘responsible adult’ doesn’t greet the bus as scheduled, the driver has the following options:

• Continue on the route and return with the child later
• Take the student to a previously designated emergency contact person within a reasonable distance from the original address
• Take the child back to school provided staff are on hand.