Shen Grapevine Transportation Archive Page

Heard it through the grapevine: a place for you to nip those rumors about the district in the bud...

Transportation

Posted on April 23, 2008

Why aren't the school bus drivers required to wear a seat belt?

Bus drivers are legally required to wear seat belts at all times while operating their bus.

Posted on April 23, 2008

Is it legal for bus driver to keep their cigarettes in the window of the bus? Some of the elementary students are complaining to the teachers about this.

While there isn't a policy or law that directly prohibits cigarettes on display, it is not an appropriate example for our students and should not happen.

Posted on April 22, 2008

Last week a Shen bus was involved in an auto accident. Has this been investigated? Is the bus driver on suspension or a safety probation?

As with all accidents, this accident was reported to State Police. We followed all state/federal regulations in terms of the investigation and will be completing that investigation soon.

Posted on March 26, 2008

Why are some school buses crammed 3 children to a seat, while other buses have 1 child for every 3 seats? The crowding is terrible, and not fair.

Some bus routes may have more children whose parents drive them to school, however, we still provide a "seat" in the event they chose to ride the bus.

Posted on March 17, 2008

Why are seatbelt laws not enforced on buses? Why are some children sitting three to a seat due to overcrowding?

The law permits districts to use seatbelts but does not mandate that students wear seatbelts on a school bus. Regarding three to a seat, the bus capacity is based on three children to a seat.

Posted on February 29, 2008

Why does the district use charter buses sometimes for field trips instead of district buses?

Charter buses are used, particularly for afternoon field trips, because we do not have enough bus drivers or buses in the afternoon to do trips and our afternoon bus runs.

Posted on February 21, 2008

My child attended a field trip and part of the fee was to cover transportation costs. Do students who play on sports teams pay fees for transportation?

Educational field trips and interscholastic athletics play an important role in the education of our students. Funds are provided annually in the budget to subsidize transportation costs for both. However, there are numerous requests each year for field trips and athletic contests above and beyond what is budgeted. That is the reason why transportation costs (particularly when it involves charter buses versus district-owned buses) are paid for through fundraising by the schools, PTA or athletic booster clubs or paid for by the parents.

Currently, the district is looking at field trips in general and how we can better provide our students with those experiences.

Posted on February 7, 2008

Why aren't there aides on buses?

To help monitor the buses we use video cameras (about half of our buses now have video cameras). Students should be encouraged to tell the bus driver if they are having problems on the bus. Parents can also call the transportation office or the school principal to report and problems.

What did you hear?