Bus Policy

Bus Note Clarification

Please read carefully and help us to keep all of our boys and girls at Prairie safe.  Thank you so much for your support and understanding.  Our main objective is to make sure that your children are safe and accounted for at all times. 

 

Our District 96 Transportation Policy has become more specific in a few ways:

• A daily written note will continue to be required when changes occur.

• Emails to office staff and teachers will not be accepted because we cannot guarantee they will be read prior to dismissal.

• Phone calls to office staff will not be accepted to change a child's typical routine with the exception of emergencies.

•  Riding buses for parties and scouts continues to be not allowed.  Play dates are also considered an unacceptable use of transportation resources.  With  a note sent in your child's backpack in the morning, your child can be claimed at parent pick up to go home with another family.  We sincerely appreciate your support in keeping our students safe and accounted for by picking up children at school that have play dates together.

You can find more information in the Parent/Student Handbook by using this link:  Link to Handbook.

 

Here is the transportation excerpt from the Handbook:

 9.4 Permission for Students to Ride Other Buses

Changes to the typical/assigned routine must be communicated in a daily written note; no email will be accepted. Due to capacity restrictions, the request will be considered by the building principal (at the middle-school level, by the Assistant Principal), who will determine whether there is adequate seating on the bus to accommodate additional riders. Emergency changes to the typical routine must be communicated by phone call to the school. Riding an unassigned bus for birthday parties, scouts, carpools/play dates, etc., is not considered appropriate use of transportation resources. Permission for such reasons is reserved for emergencies only or at the discretion of the principal.  A student attending Willow Grove School is not allowed to ride a bus other than the one to which he or she is assigned, or to get off a bus at a stop other than his or her assigned bus stop under any circumstances.

9.4-a. Removal of a Child from the Bus. Parents may not remove their child from the bus if the bus is at a location other than at the child's assigned bus stop. In the event of a delay or malfunction, bus drivers are not authorized to release students to parents. Only the building administrator may allow students to be released from a bus route, and then only to the child's parent or guardian.  The bus company will send another bus to continue the route.