Brighton Central School District

DROP OFF PROCEDURES AND BUS PASSES AT CRPS AND FRES

Our first priority is to ensure all students who ride a bus arrive at their destination safely.  A great deal of work goes into developing safe and efficient routes, having drivers learn their routes, and--most importantly at grades K-5—having drivers get to know the students on their bus.

It is a requirement at grades K-2 that a driver must seen an adult to release the student off the bus.   Drivers will quickly get to know which adults are picking up children and we will not release students if we do not know the adult waiting to receive the student off the bus.

For the reasons above, we rely on consistency.   Parents also depend on consistency to know when their child will arrive home.  We are also aware that life happens and changes will occur.   We can accommodate changes, but we require advanced communication.

AUTHORIZED ADULTS TO RECEIVE STUDENTS

When parents request transportation, we ask which adult(s) will be receiving the child off the bus.   If you need to add the names of trusted adults to receive your children (neighbors, relatives, siblings, etc…) please inform us the names in writing in advance.  We update these lists every school year.  You can email us at:   bcsd_transportation@bcsd.org.

You may certainly tell the driver, but we do ask for confirmation in writing.  

We add the names of authorized adults directly to the route sheet as a notation at your child’s stop location.   We have substitute drivers who may be asked to drive your child’s bus.   It is highly unlikely those sub drivers will be aware of a conversation you had with the regular driver in the past.

LIMITS ON BUS PASSES FOR AFTERNOON DROP OFFS

Again, for safety reasons above, we rely on consistency.   We do allow bus passes to request changes…but under very limited circumstances.

Any change request to the normal routine has to be communicated with a great many people.  (We need to tell the driver that an additional student will be on their bus, which stop they are going to, and who will be receiving the child;  the school’s clerical staff and teachers need to know of the changes to ensure the  students get on the correct bus.)    Any breakdown in communication can result in a child getting on the wrong bus.

BUS PASS REQUESTS THAT WE WILL ACCOMMODATE

We will accommodate bus passes under limited circumstances:

• The change request must be received in a timely manner.   We need prior notice of a change in writing by 11 am of the day the change is to be made, at the latest.   Change requests can be emailed to:  bcsd_transportation@bcsd.org.
• The requested change can be accommodated when it does not require the addition of a new stop location to a bus route.  (Adding a new location is problematic as the driver may not be familiar with the new stop location.  Adding stops also alters the timing of the preexisting stops.  All drop off after the added stop will now be later than normal).

Examples of change requests we will accommodate:

• A student’s normal routine is to go home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on one bus, but to go a daycare program on Tuesdays and Thursdays on another bus.   The parent requests for the child to go home on Tuesday rather than go to daycare.   (This did not require an additional stop to be added.  The driver who drives the student home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays knows the student, the stop location and the parent receiving the child.  The only change was the day of the week).
• In emergency circumstances only we will allow a child to ride another bus home with a friend if we have confirmation the other parent is aware of the change. 
  •  For example:  A parent may know they won’t be to make it home to receive their child at the regular time.  (They are experiencing car troubles, are stuck at work, there is a medical emergency, etc…)  That parent could request that their child ride home on another bus with a friend.   We need confirmation that the friend’s parent is expecting another child. (Again, this did not require the addition of a new stop location.)
  • In the example above the parent could also request that a trusted adult meet their child off the bus at the child’s normal stop location.   We would need to confirm the identity of the adult receiving the child off the bus).

Examples of change requests we will NOT accommodate:

• We do not allow students to ride home with friends on another bus under non-emergency situations (playdates, parties, etc…)
• We will not accommodate the addition of a new stop location.    (An example:  A parent requests that we drop off their child at a grandparent’s home which is not on any of our regular routes.   In this case we would ask the grandparent to come to the child’s stop to receive the child or for arrangements to be made to pick up the student from school). 

AFTERNOON LOCKOUT PROCEDURES AT CPRS

The Brighton Transportation Department has a policy that our youngest bus riders—those in K-2 at CRPS—must be received by a trusted adult to get off the bus.   Our drivers will not let a child off their bus unless they see an adult at the stop waiting to receive the child.   

It is very important for adults to be waiting at the stop and visible to the driver.  Parents depend on consistency to know when to receive their child.  

When the driver does not see an adult waiting at the stop it is referred to as a “lockout”.  The Transportation Department then takes the following steps:

• The driver calls in the lockout to dispatch using the radio on their bus.  The bus driver provides the students name and stop location.  The driver will keep the student on board until they receive confirmation from dispatch that there is an adult at the stop.   The driver proceeds on with the route and monitors the radio for updates.   In most cases the driver will complete the entire route and then attempt to bring the child back to the stop a second time.
• While the driver proceeds on with the route, Transportation Department staff (dispatch) make phone calls to the parents of the locked-out child.   
  • If the parent is at home (or soon will be—by the time the bus returns for a second drop off attempt) then the driver is informed there is a parent waiting.
  • If dispatch cannot reach the adult who was supposed to be at the stop:   The standing instructions are for the driver to complete the route and make a second attempt at dropping off the child.
• The driver will return to the stop a second time.  
  • If the adult is present, the driver informs dispatch that the child has been received.
  • If an adult is not present at the second drop off attempt the driver may have a few moments to wait at the stop.   Most of our drivers who driver a Council Rock route also drive a later route to either French Road Elementary School (FRES) or one of the private and parochial schools in the area.
  • If the driver can no longer wait at the stop and need to move on to prepare for their next route the driver will either:  A) return the child to CRK (assuming they can do so and still start their next route on time) or B)  may hold the student on their bus for the duration of their subsequent route.  
  • If the child is returned to CRPS then the Transportation Department calls CRPS staff to alert them that a student will shortly be dropped off.  CRPS staff will attempt to make contact with the adult and instruct them to come to CRPS to pick up their child.
  • If the child is still on the bus and needs to ride with the driver through their subsequent route, then they will be brought to the stop after the second route is completed.

PARENTS:    SOME IMPORTANT DOs AND DON’Ts FOR RECEVING YOUR CHILD OFF THE BUS

EARLY RELEASE DAYS AT CRPS AND FRES

Each year there are several Early Release Days at both Council Rock Primary School and French Road Elementary School to help accomodate parent teacher conferences.  On these days the schools release three hours prior to their normal dismissal times. 

This school year there will be five Early Release Days:

• Friday, November 7
• Friday, November 14
• Friday, December 5
• Friday, December 12, and
• Friday, May 22

Council Rock will dismiss at 11:30 am and French Road will dismiss (starting with parent pick up and walkers) at 12:15.   

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The Transportation Department WILL honor bus pass requests for these days, with the following stipulations.

• We WILL NOT honor requests for home stops that do not currently exist on our routes.   (If your child goes by bus to a day care every day of the week, we DO NOT have a home stop set up for your child.   We will bring your child to the closest pre-existing stop on the route.)

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Please submit your requests by the Wednesday prior to each release day.    It takes time to confirm stop addresses and communicate with both the schools and our drivers.

To submit a request:

• Please email the request to the following email:   bcsd_transportation@bcsd.org
• Please put “Bus Pass Request” in the email subject line.

EARLY RELEASE DAYS AT CRPS AND FRES

Each year there are several Early Release Days at both Council Rock Primary School and French Road Elementary School to help accomodate parent teacher conferences.  On these days the schools release three hours prior to their normal dismissal times. 

This school year there will be five Early Release Days:

• Friday, November 7
• Friday, November 14
• Friday, December 5
• Friday, December 12, and
• Friday, May 22

Council Rock will dismiss at 11:30 am and French Road will dismiss (starting with parent pick up and walkers) at 12:15.   

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The Transportation Department WILL honor bus pass requests for these days, with the following stipulations.

• We WILL NOT honor requests for home stops that do not currently exist on our routes.   (If your child goes by bus to a day care every day of the week, we DO NOT have a home stop set up for your child.   We will bring your child to the closest pre-existing stop on the route.)

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Please submit your requests by the Wednesday prior to each release day.    It takes time to confirm stop addresses and communicate with both the schools and our drivers.

To submit a request:

• Please email the request to the following email:   bcsd_transportation@bcsd.org
• Please put “Bus Pass Request” in the email subject line.

LATE BUSES AT BHS AND TCMS

Both BHS and TCMS have many afterschool activities and opportunities for help that students can take part in.   The Transportation Department provides late buses for students who stay late for school-sanctioned events.   These events include:

• Clubs
• Extra help with teachers
• After school detentions
• Students who missed the first bus and stay in a supervised location

PLEASE NOTE:   Students must have a signed and dated pass from a teacher or staff member to ride the late buses.   The passes are proof that the student stayed after school in a supervised setting for a school-sanctioned purpose.  

The late buses are NOT available to students who were not with a teacher or school staff for the period between the normal school dismissal time and when the buses board.   Students, for example, cannot leave campus and then return to ride the buses or simply stay after school to hang out with friends. 

We provide two buses, each of which has a route that covers half of the district.  The two buses are labeled “East” and “West”.  

Students must turn their passes into security.   Security helps students sign up for the correct bus and to locate their bus stop.

There are no “home stops” on the late buses.   All the stops on the late buses are group stops at the intersections of major streets within a neighborhood.  

A map of both the routes for both the East and West bus can be found at:   LATE BUS MAP (EAST AND WEST)

Because ridership on the late bus is highly variable, it is very difficult to predict accurate drop times on any particular day.   Some days there are very few riders while on other days the buses can be very full.

SPECIALIZED LATE BUSES:

In addition to our “East” and “West” buses, we have a number of other buses that transport students only for specific purposes.   These buses are open only to those students who have been assigned to them.

AFTERNOON DRIVER SHORTAGE:

HOLDING BUSES AT BHS AND TCMS

There has been, and continues to be, a nationwide bus driver shortage.  It is a very unusual occurrence for the Transportation Department to be fully staffed and to have all of the drivers we need to transport students as planned.  When driver shortages occur it is a typical practice to delay, or “hold”, or even combine afternoon runs.   When the Transportation Department decides it must hold or combine runs, the impact is felt exclusively  by students riding buses from Brighton High School (BHS)  and Twelve Corners Middle School (TCMS).   There are several reasons why this is the case, including:  the timing of our afternoon runs, the maturity level of our students, how we allocate available resources.

TIMING OF RUNS

Because of similar start and end times BHS and TCMS share buses.   Both BHS and TCMS students ride together on the buses that bring students to school in the morning and bring them home in the afternoon.

While Council Rock Primary School (CRPS) has a later start time, the dismissal time at the end of the day is at a very similar time as BHS and TCMS.

As a result, the Transportation Department is busing approximately 2,000 students home at roughly the same time of day.  

School Start and End Times:

MATURITY LEVEL OF STUDENTS

We have a policy that our youngest students  (those in grades K-2) and our students with special needs must be received by a parent before the driver can release them from a bus.  This policy is in effect to ensure the safety of our youngest learners.  By comparison, our students at BHS and TCMS are much older and we do not require an adult to be present at their stop locations.  Secondary students are also better equipped to adjust to minor disruptions to their normal schedule than our students at the primary level. 

ALLOCATION OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES.

When we face a driver shortage, we allocate our resources in such a way to give precedence to transporting students from CRPS with minimal delays and alterations.   Due to the requirement that an adult must be present at the stop to receive a child in grades K-2 it is very important to be as consistent as possible.  

For these reasons, when it is necessary to hold or combine buses the Transportation Department will alter the regular schedule for secondary students before we hold buses for students at CRPS

Protocols for Holding or Combing Buses at BHS and TCMS

Each afternoon we monitor the drivers’ attendance and allocate our resources accordingly.  If we are aware that a driver shortage exists and that we will need to hold buses, we follow the process below.

• Determine which bus(es) we need to hold.  We try to limit the impact to bus routes for absent drivers.   (If the driver for Bus 10 is out, we try only to hold Bus 10).
• If there are multiple drivers out, we may need to move drivers who are more familiar with the routes that need to be covered.
• The Transportation Department sends an email to staff at both BHS and TCMS.  Staff make announcements to inform students impacted by changes.
• The Transportation Department sends a ParentSquare notification to the parents informing them of anticipated delays.
• Usually we need approximately 10 to 15 minutes to get a bus to the school to pick up the students waiting for a held bus.
• Both TCMS and BHS provide supervision for students while they are waiting for the bus to arrive.

LATE BUSES AT BHS 

Both BHS and TCMS have many afterschool activities and opportunities for help that students can take part in.   The Transportation Department provides late buses for students who stay late for school-sanctioned events.   These events include:

• Clubs
• Extra help with teachers
• After school detentions
• Students who missed the first bus and stay in a supervised location

PLEASE NOTE:   Students must have a signed and dated pass from a teacher or staff member to ride the late buses.   The passes are proof that the student stayed after school in a supervised setting for a school-sanctioned purpose.  

The late buses are NOT available to students who were not with a teacher or school staff for the period between the normal school dismissal time and when the buses board.   Students, for example, cannot leave campus and then return to ride the buses or simply stay after school to hang out with friends. 

We provide two buses, each of which has a route that covers half of the district.  The two buses are labeled “East” and “West”.  

Students must turn their passes into security.   Security helps students sign up for the correct bus and to locate their bus stop.

There are no “home stops” on the late buses.   All the stops on the late buses are group stops at the intersections of major streets within a neighborhood.  

A map of both the routes for both the East and West bus can be found at: LATE BUS MAP (EAST AND WEST)

AFTERNOON DRIVER SHORTAGE:  HOLDING BUSES AT BHS AND TCMS

There has been, and continues to be, a nationwide bus driver shortage.  It is a very unusual occurrence for the Transportation Department to be fully staffed and to have all of the drivers we need to transport students as planned.  When driver shortages occur it is a typical practice to delay, or “hold”, or even combine afternoon runs.   When the Transportation Department decides it must hold or combine runs, the impact is felt exclusively  by students riding buses from Brighton High School (BHS)  and Twelve Corners Middle School (TCMS).   There are several reasons why this is the case, including:  the timing of our afternoon runs, the maturity level of our students, how we allocate available resources.

TIMING OF RUNS

Because of similar start and end times BHS and TCMS share buses.   Both BHS and TCMS students ride together on the buses that bring students to school in the morning and bring them home in the afternoon.

While Council Rock Primary School (CRPS) has a later start time, the dismissal time at the end of the day is at a very similar time as BHS and TCMS.

As a result, the Transportation Department is busing approximately 2,000 students home at roughly the same time of day.  

School Start and End Times:

MATURITY LEVEL OF STUDENTS

We have a policy that our youngest students  (those in grades K-2) and our students with special needs must be received by a parent before the driver can release them from a bus.  This policy is in effect to ensure the safety of our youngest learners.  By comparison, our students at BHS and TCMS are much older and we do not require an adult to be present at their stop locations.  Secondary students are also better equipped to adjust to minor disruptions to their normal schedule than our students at the primary level. 

ALLOCATION OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES.

When we face a driver shortage, we allocate our resources in such a way to give precedence to transporting students from CRPS with minimal delays and alterations.   Due to the requirement that an adult must be present at the stop to receive a child in grades K-2 it is very important to be as consistent as possible.  

For these reasons, when it is necessary to hold or combine buses the Transportation Department will alter the regular schedule for secondary students before we hold buses for students at CRPS

Protocols for Holding or Combing Buses at BHS and TCMS

Each afternoon we monitor the drivers’ attendance and allocate our resources accordingly.  If we are aware that a driver shortage exists and that we will need to hold buses, we follow the process below.

• Determine which bus(es) we need to hold.  We try to limit the impact to bus routes for absent drivers.   (If the driver for Bus 10 is out, we try only to hold Bus 10).
• If there are multiple drivers out, we may need to move drivers who are more familiar with the routes that need to be covered.
• The Transportation Department sends an email to staff at both BHS and TCMS.  Staff make announcements to inform students impacted by changes.
• The Transportation Department sends a ParentSquare notification to the parents informing them of anticipated delays.
• Usually we need approximately 10 to 15 minutes to get a bus to the school to pick up the students waiting for a held bus.
• Both TCMS and BHS provide supervision for students while they are waiting for the bus to arrive.

BUS STOP EXPECTATIONS

Getting students to school on time and safely is a collaborative effort between the Transportation Department and caregivers.  The Transportation Department works hard to ensure our buses are safe and ready to go, that our drivers are well trained and prepared, and that we arrive at our planned stops as consistently as possible.   We rely heavily on caregivers to make sure their children are ready when the bus arrives, waiting outside where the driver can see the student, and that students are behaving responsibly—particularly at group stops.   Below are several  “need to knows” about our expectations for appropriate bus stop behaviors.

Routing for Safety and Efficiency:   

Safety:  Our top priority is student safety.   We plan carefully to make sure that:  students’ stops are at a safe location, that we minimize the “crossing” of students (having the stop be on the opposite side of the street from where students disembark from the door side of the bus) to safe streets, and that students know our expectations for appropriate bus behavior. 

Routing efficiency:   It is not possible for every student to receive a home stop.   We do create group stops to help minimize the amount of time students are on the bus and to minimize the number of times a bus has to stop in a particular area.

Home Stops vs. Group Stops: 

A “home stop” is a stop that is directly in front of the student’s home where only that child is boarding the bus.   “Group stops” are stops at which multiple students living near one another meet at a common stop.  We try to reduce the number of home stops on our routes as they are inefficient and cause buses to stop frequently.   Group stops are much more efficient and minimize the number of times a bus has to stop, thereby shortening the overall length of the trip.  Group stops are used extensively in the runs servicing Twelve Corners Middle School and Brighton High School.   There may be a higher number of home stops on the routes for our younger riders.  

Responsibility of the School District vs. Responsibility of Parents:

School District:   According to New York State school law: “School districts are charged with planning and selecting routes that ‘promote maximum efficiency in the operation of a school bus on such route’”.  (§3622)

Parents:  “It is the responsibility of the parent, not the school district, to see that his or her child reaches the pick-up point safely” (Pratt v Robinson, 39 N.Y.2d554(1976). 

Expectations at Bus Stop:

We ask that students are waiting outside and visible to the driver five minutes before the bus’s scheduled arrival time.   This will: a) minimize the chances that a driver will not see the student at the stop and b) help with the maximum efficiency of the route.   In most cases our drivers are instructed to wait 30 seconds at a stop.   If they do not see the student(s) at from a particular stop, they are instructed to proceed on with their route after waiting 30 seconds.  

We ask that every effort be made by parents to make sure their child is at the stop on time (and actually five minutes early) to avoid delays in the route.  Please understand, if a driver must wait longer than 30 seconds for children at a particular stop to board the bus, that the driver will be late for the subsequent stops on the route.   If the driver must wait at multiple stops, the impact is compounded and the driver will be significantly late to later pick-ups or for school arrival.

Student behavior at bus stop:         The school district is responsible for the students’ behavior and safety from the time that students step on the bus until they arrive at school (for morning runs) or until the student is dropped off at the stop (for afternoon runs).  

Please avoid making “sweetheart stops” your child’s driver.   A “sweetheart stop” is a special arrangement made between the parent and the driver to alter the plans created by the district...without the district’s knowledge.    This is problematic for several reasons.  It creates a system of preferential treatment for particular families.   If a sub driver is driving the route, the sub driver will not be aware of the special arrangement.   We instruct our drivers NOT to agree to sweetheart stops and to notify us if they have been asked to alter their route.   It is our expectation that the drivers tell parents to reach out to the Transportation Department directly for changes to be made.

                Authorizing other adults to receive a child off the bus.    It is our policy that the driver must see an adult to release students in kindergarten through second grade.   If you want another adult (neighbor or family member) to receive your child off the bus, please email the Transportation Department with the names of adults you are authorizing.   If the driver does not recognize the adult at the stop, we will keep the student on board until we can verify the parent approves for their child to be released.

BUS BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS

following guidelines will help ensure that each student has the safest ride possible.

• Follow the bus driver’s instructions.
• Be outside the bus stop in the morning at least 5 minutes before the pickup time, even if the stop is at your home.
• When you see the bus approaching, line up and don’t start toward the bus until it has come to a full stop and the driver has opened the door.
• If you have to cross the street, always wait for the bus driver’s signal.
• Use the handrail when you get on the bus.
• Stay in your seat and face forward until the bus comes to a complete stop at the school or you bus stop.
• Never walk behind the bus.
• Never chase after a moving bus.

ITEMS PROHIBITED ON BUSES

For the safety of all riders, it’s important that students not carry potentially harmful items on the bus.  Nothing should be carried that will interfere with the seating space or safety.  The following items are not permitted. (NOTE:  This is not an all-inclusive list.  If in doubt about an item, pleas call the Transportation Department.

• Animals of any kind.
• Balloons
• Glass objects
• Medicine
• Food or drinks
• Items that don’t fit on the lap (including musical instruments and athletic equipment)
• Weapons of any kind / Laser pointers
• Tobacco of any kind, including vaping
• Sharp and pointed objects including pens and pencils (pens and pencils must be secured in a backpack or pencil case).
• No electronics

Please put your child’s name of items that will be frequently brought on the bus (backpack, lunchbox, coat, gloves, boots, etc…)

According to the Commissioner of Education, school districts are not required to transport students to multiple locations.  It is up to the discretion of each district—based on available resources and safety concerns—if transportation to multiple locations will be granted.  Traditionally, Brighton has accommodated requests for alternate stop locations and allowed parents to:

< >request multiple pick-up and drop off locations for their students (even within a given weekday),  andsubmit bus passes at grades K-8 to change drop-off locations on a daily basis.Due to safety concerns, the persistent nation-wide driver shortage, and limited resources, the Brighton Transportation Department will be scaling back on the services it can provide in terms of transporting to multiple locations.  

The Transportation Department will not accommodate requests to transport students to alternate locations within a given day’s morning or afternoon windows.