Putnam City Schools

School bus transportation is the safest means of over-the-road transportation in America. Putnam City Schools takes pride in its safety record and in the service it provides. Students and parents should read and understand the following guidelines:

1. All Putnam City district policies apply to passengers boarding, riding, and departing from Putnam City school buses. Students using or possessing tobacco products, alcohol, drugs, lasers, or weapons will be disciplined according to district policies.

2. All students must sit properly and safely while on the bus. Students should be sitting on their bottom in the seat facing forward. Students should never sit on their knees, sit facing backward, stand or walk in the aisle, stand on a seat, or climb over or crawl under seats while the bus is moving. Students who cannot follow these safety guidelines create a danger to themselves and will be subject to bus suspension.

3. Parent/guardians should call the Putnam City Transportation Department at 789-3244 when asking for their child to ride another bus to and from school. The call should be made before 1 p.m. on the day of the request. Some requests may be denied due to overcrowded buses. Please do not call the school or write a note for the student to give to the driver when requesting a change in riding procedures.

4. Students are required to use the bus stop nearest their home. Students must be on time at their stop, ready to board.

5. Students shall remain back from the roadway while awaiting the arrival of the bus. They should refrain from throwing things or playing at a bus stop.

6. Students shall enter the bus in an orderly fashion and go directly to a seat and remain seated until the destination is reached.

7. Students must keep their hands, arms, and heads inside the bus at all times.

8. Students must keep their hands to themselves and verbal comments under control.

9. Students should never throw any type of object while inside the bus. It is against the law to throw any object from a bus window.

10. Athletic equipment, books, musical instruments, coats, backpacks, and other such items must be kept out of the aisle. These items should be held on the student’s lap or placed on the floor between the student’s feet. Students may not sit on backpacks or musical instrument cases.

11. Students may not eat or drink or drink while riding a bus. Eating or drinking while on the bus may result in choking, spilled food, sticky seats and floors, and health violations. Please wait until you are off the bus to open and eat food items.

12. Students are not to write on seats, poke holes in seats, spit on the floor, or damage any bus equipment.

13. Students should always check their seating area for books, lunches, phones, purses and other articles that have fallen out on the route. Articles left on the bus will remain on the bus until the next route occurs. A parent may call the Transportation Department to see if property was found on the bus by the driver.

14. Students should do everything to avoid a fight while on the bus. A fight may cause injury to those fighting and also endangers the entire bus by distracting the driver. Students should stay on the bus if they feel a fight will occur once they get off at their stop. The driver will keep the student on the bus until it is safe for departure.

15. Bus riders are expected to be courteous to fellow students and the bus driver. The bus driver must be treated with respect like any school employee.

16. The emergency door and window latches must be used for emergency only. Students must not touch safety equipment on the bus unless there is an emergency.

17. Students must remain on the bus when there is a road emergency. Students must remain on a bus involved in a wreck until released by the nurse and local police.

18. Students who must cross the street at a bus stop shall not do so until they receive a signal from the bus driver. When crossing a street is necessary, it shall always be done in front of the bus far enough ahead of the bus so that the bus driver may adequately observe them. This means that the student should be able to see the face of the bus driver. The driver shall hold his bus with warning lights flashing until the crossing has been completed.

19. All directions given by the bus driver are to be followed.

20. Flowers, balloons and other party favors are not permitted on the bus because they create vision problems for the driver. Animals such as turtles, lizards, snakes, etc., are not allowed on the bus due to danger to other bus riders and distractions that may occur.

21. It is against federal regulations for bus drivers to alter their route. Therefore, all students must board and unload at designated stops. Any alternate stops must be approved in advance with the Transportation office.

22. A regular route driver will make their first stop at the designated time as listed at www.putnamcityschools.org under Schools/Transportation. All other stops will be made according to route assignments. Bus stop arrival times may be affected by weather, traffic congestion, or student discipline problems.

23. All bus drivers are required to stop and wait 30 seconds at each designated stop. Students who fail to be on time will be responsible for their own transportation to school. Buses cannot return for late students due to time restrictions.

24. We ask that each bus rider sign and return a "Parent/Student Application Form for Transportation Service." This information allows the driver to know who is riding as well as notifying the parent/guardian of all bus policies. The form is handed out at the beginning of each school year by the driver and should be returned to the driver upon completion.

25. The Putnam City School District operates buses for transportation of its student body based upon the following guidelines:

• Elementary and middle school students who live greater than 1 mile from their school are eligible for bus service.
• High school students who live greater than 1 ½ miles from their school are eligible for bus service.
• Students who live within the walk boundary distance are not eligible for bus service.

Violation of the above rules may result in students losing their privilege to ride any school bus for one day or extending through the remainder of the school year, as well as suspension from school.