Bus safety: ‘Flashing Red, Kids Ahead’

The Blytheville School District starts classes Monday, and the school district's bus system has a new slogan designed to keep safety on everyone's mind as children get on and off the buses.

“Flashing Red, Kids Ahead” is the new mantra, reminding all travelers to constantly be on the watch for the school buses as they pick up and drop off the students.

Caroline Barnes, director of the school transportation department, wants all people to know that safety is the number one priority and that all students are considered precious cargo to staff and drivers.

“We train our drivers and monitors all during the year and have state mandatory training also and each driver must be recertified yearly,” Barnes said.

The bus driver is responsible for getting all the children to school and then back to their designated stop each day. They must always put the lives and safety of the passengers first, cannot alter bus routes, bus stops, or turnarounds without prior approval of the director.

Drivers may assign seating if necessary, ensuring safe behavior is maintained. They must obey all traffic laws, including the speed limit.

Students are assigned to busses, based on where they live, and they cannot ride another bus without the director’s permission.

There is also a ‘Code of Conduct' for students to follow when using the bus system. The rules were developed to manage student behavior and can result in disciplinary action such as a write-up. It can also lead to removal from the bus system for a determined amount of time. If bus privileges are lost they still must attend school.

All parents are reminded that their child's safety is the utmost concern of all employees of the transportation department.

Barnes recommends all parents and guardians go over safety rules and regulations frequently.

• Have students at the bus stop in line at least 5 minutes before the bus arrives

• Teach the student to not move onto the roadway until the bus is completely stopped and red flag and yellow traffic arm is fully extended

• If assigned seats are used they must sit in that spot each day to and from school

• If a student is habitually late even after verbal reminders a conduct report will be issued

• Once boarded, students cannot get off the bus and go back in for forgotten items

• No student shall get off or on at any stop without prior parental face to face notification being made to the office.

• If no sidewalks or designated stops, teach children to always be watching for oncoming traffic

• Keep themselves in the seats, face forward, quiet and aisle clear at all times and all body parts in the bus and not out the windows.

• All items carried onto bus must fit in lap unless predetermined by school and transportation director

• No profane language, fighting, or obscenities of any nature allowed during transport.

“For a complete list of all rules and guidelines and expectations, we encourage all people to check out our website or feel free to contact us here at the school district transportation department or by calling 870-763-0551,” Barnes continues.

“If you feel your child was unnecessarily disciplined, there are three cameras and one voice recorder and one bus monitor along with the driver. We can go over all things to ensure that all rules are handled correctly here at the director’s office. Our goal is safe travels at all times. We are also looking for parents or new people to train and become members of our transportation department for part-time employment."