Lake Forest School District 67
School Safety Newsletter

 

School Safety Question #8:  BUS SAFETY


How can teachers influence student bus behavior and increase safety on school buses?

You may have read the heartbreaking news last week about the two 7 year old girls and a teacher's aide in Tennessee who were killed when another school bus slammed into the bus they were riding in.  The girls had their lives ahead of them and the teacher assistant was an aspiring teacher and mother of two.

According to WebMD, every year school buses carry some 24 million students and collectively travel more than four billion miles.  Statistically, bus accidents are rare, but they still happen on a daily basis.  In fact, they happen in our school district.  Luckily, our accidents have been relatively minor.  But, just two weeks ago, one of our students was taken to the ER for a laceration on his head, which required staples.

We urge teachers to help our bus drivers by reiterating the importance of bus safety rules with their students:

PHYSICAL SAFETY MEASURES: 
1.  Always listen to instructions from the bus driver.
2.  Get on and off the bus carefully, watch your step, and use the handrail.
3.  Use indoor voices. 
4.  Keep aisles clear at all times.
5.  Sit facing forward, bottoms on seat, feet on the ground (if they reach!)
6.  Always keep hands and face inside windows.
7.  Never throw anything out the window.
8.  Be absolutely silent when the driver approaches a railroad crossing.
9.  Do not eat or drink on the bus.
10. Do not stand while the bus is in motion.

In addition to physical safety, it's important that students feel emotionally safe as well. Please review these rules too:

EMOTIONAL SAFETY MEASURES:
1.  Share seats freely (unless assigned by the bus driver, students have the right        to sit anywhere they choose).
2.  Use kind words (no put-downs).
3.  Keep hands and feet to self.
4.  Engage in friendly conversations with those around you.  
5.  Do not touch or take other's belongings.
6.  Be an upstander, not a bystander, if you see bad behavior.   
7.  Get adult help when it is needed.
8.  Use appropriate language.  (The test: If you wouldn't say it with the
     Principal present, then it's clearly not appropriate!)
9.  Older students should be positive leaders.  Help younger students and be 
     role models for good behavior.
10. School rules apply to the bus!

Bottom line: All bus riders have a responsibility to help every student
     feel comfortable, welcome, and respected on the bus.

Engage in a discussion about why we have these rules.  For example, why no eating or drinking on the bus? Seems harmless enough.  Guide students toward answers such as, it poses a choking hazard if the bus stopped suddenly, because some students have life threatening food allergies, it leaves the bus messy and sticky, etc.   

When teachers are chaperoning students on a field trip, it's a great time to review bus rules with the children.  The driver will appreciate it!

Thank you for your efforts in keeping our school community as safe as possible.

Sincerely,
Ingrid Wiemer -Executive Director of Student Services
Conrad Christensen -LF Police Officer/School Resource Officer (SRO)


View previous issues of our newsletter here.

Lake Forest School District 67
300 S. Waukegan Rd.
Lake Forest, Illinois 60045
847-235-9657