• Economy:  think of public bus use vs. taxi cabs. 

• Time:  we need to limit the amount of time each student rides the bus

• Some students picked up in front of their homes because they:

  • live on roads that have been deemed hazardous

  • have an individualized education plan that requires this service.

• CDL license which requires written and driving tests

• Extensive reference checks are made before they are employed

• Driving history is reviewed at the beginning of each year and again in January to ensure they have no points or convictions. 

• Fingerprint background checks are maintained by the state for any violations of the law which would cause the driver to be removed from the district.

• Medical and vision testing completed every two years

• Pre-employment and ongoing random drug/alcohol testing.

• Annual staff development training

• Supervisor observations

Yes, they are inspected twice a year by the state motor vehicle department.  Any violations noted by the inspectors are immediately addressed or the bus is removed from service.  The results of these inspections are published by the State on their website.

While we strive to provide families accurate data in when we expect to be at the bus stop each morning or afternoon, there are many things which prevent us from doing so.  These include: Traffic, weather, number of students riding that day, substitute driver, construction, vehicle malfunction, police activity, etc. There are many great reasons to live in New Jersey--driving here isn’t one of them.

Contact your school’s nurse (or CST) and share this information with her.  They can review the need for the driver’s need to know and will share the information directly with the transportation department.

The district is exploring new technology to allow for better communication with families as to the arrival time of the school bus.  You can expect more information to be sent out as these purchases are made:

• GPS tracking software/hardware is being explored.

• Voice notification system which would call you if your child’s bus is expected to be late.

If your child’s bus is involved in an accident, the operator will immediately radio their dispatcher with vital information. The dispatcher will notify the appropriate emergency personnel to respond. The school will be notified and an appropriate school representative may be asked to go to the scene of the accident, depending on how serious the situation may be. If your child needs to be transported anywhere, for any reason, by emergency medical technicians at the scene, you will be notified.  If your child is not injured, you will not be notified and your child will be transported to school or home, as appropriate, as soon as a release is given by local law enforcement. Your child will not be counted tardy or absent. If the accident occurs on the way to school, the children will be checked by the nurse upon arrival. If the accident occurs on the way home from school, the children will be checked by nurse the following school day upon arrival.

Children are allowed to contact their parents/guardians via their cell phone in emergency situations. If they do not have a cell phone, dispatch will call for them.  We ask that you do not report to the scene until instructed to do so by the local police, as they need to control the scene. Parents are NOT allowed to remove their child from any accident scene until local law enforcement permits.  All children will be delivered to school/home as is required.