Items not allowed on bus to or from school
In general, anything larger than an average-size book bag is not allowed on buses to or from school. In a change from previous years, covered tennis racquets are allowed on the bus.

One drop-off site
For your child's' safety, only one drop-off site will be used. Following school, your child will be dropped off at the same location at the end of each school day. This is to prevent children from getting lost or confused.

Moving? Changing daycare sites?
If you are planning on moving or changing your daycare site, please contact the Transportation Department at 763-785-5512. A move or change in daycare could change your child's elementary school. For a kindergartner, it could change the school to the morning or afternoon session. Please contact us before you move or change daycare sites. A convenient tear-out form, located in this handbook's transportation section, can be utilized for communicating a change in daycare.

Kindergarten transportation
Morning kindergarten students living in the busing areas will ride to school with all of the other students. At noon, the morning students will ride home on a special kindergarten bus. Afternoon kindergarten students will ride to school on a special kindergarten bus. Afternoon kindergartners living in a busing area will ride home with all of the other students. Kindergarten bus stop postcards will be mailed out to students' homes about the third week in August.

Transportation safety issues
To avoid injury to your child, please check all clothing for drawstrings and oversize toggles that could become caught on buses or playground equipment. All of the buses used by the district have been modified to meet all current safety standards. Also, for your child's safety, please talk to your child about staying seated while on the bus and about keeping all body parts inside the bus at all times.

Most of the district's buses are at capacity. Therefore, only students who are scheduled to be on a bus will be allowed to ride that bus. This means that students cannot ride a bus other than their regular bus to parties or other after-school activities at another student's home. Also, students cannot ride a different bus to school from a location other than their home or daycare in the morning. Questions or concerns regarding transportation of your child during the school year should be directed to your school principal. Working together, we can keep the students of District 16 as safe as possible while being transported to and from school.

Note: Bus drivers must report all students who disobey the rules to the school principal. School Bus Safety Rules are posted on every bus.

Conduct on the school bus/consequences for misbehavior
Riding the school bus is a privilege, not a right. Students are expected to follow the same behavioral standards while riding school buses as are expected on school property or at school activities, functions or events. All school rules are in effect while a student is riding the bus or at the bus stop.

Consequences for school bus/bus stop misconduct will be imposed by the building principal or the principal's designee. In addition, all school bus/bus stop misconduct will be reported to the District Transportation Safety Director. Serious misconduct will be reported to the Department of Public Safety and may be reported to local law enforcement.

Consequences for school bus or bus stop misconduct

Severe clause
The bus driver may stop the bus and refuse to continue until the disruption ends. The bus driver may call the supervisor to remove the student or students. Permanent suspension of bus riding privileges may occur.

Consequences for school bus/bus stop misconduct will apply to all regular and late activity routes. Decisions regarding a student's ability to ride the bus in connection with co-curricular and extra-curricular events (for example: field trips or competitions) will be of the sole discretion of the school district. Parents or guardians will be notified of any suspension of bus privileges.

Depending on the nature of the offense, consequences such as suspension or expulsion from school may also result from school bus/bus stop misconduct. Students damaging school buses will be responsible for the damages. Failure to pay such damages (or make arrangements to pay) within two weeks may result in loss of bus privileges until damages are paid.

In cases involving criminal conduct, (for example, assault, weapons possession, or vandalism), the superintendent, district safety officer, local law enforcement officials, and the Department of Public Safety will be informed.

Parent/guardian responsibilities for bus transportation safety
Parents should:

A copy of the school bus rules will be provided to each family at the beginning of the school year or when a child enrolls, if this occurs during the school year. Parents and guardians are asked to review the rules with their students.

School bus video camera policy
District 16 and the companies that contract for transportation services utilize video camera equipment in school buses for the purpose of monitoring the behavior of students. District 16 uses video camera concealment boxes in school buses and rotates video cameras into buses that are experiencing discipline problems for the purpose of monitoring student behavior. Videotapes are used to support the bus driver's report and enforce the consequences of the School Bus Safety Policy established and approved by the school board in 1994.

Publication in the District 16 calendar/handbook shall serve as notification to students, parents/guardians and staff that video surveillance may occur on any school bus and that video recordings may be used in student disciplinary proceedings. This notification includes a copy of the district's policy on bus conduct. In addition, a prominent notice is placed in each bus stating, "This bus is equipped with a video monitoring system. Your conversations and/or actions may be recorded."

Videotapes will only be viewed by the District 16 Transportation Safety Director (and/or designee), the principal of the school building (and/or designee), bus company safety director, the bus driver, and/or other appropriate law enforcement agencies. Whenever a parent or guardian disputes or challenges a bus discipline report, and the parent's child was videotaped, it will be the responsibility of the school principal to review the tape. The videotape will be used by the building principal to assist in determining whether or not the incident actually occurred and if so, the severity of the incident.

All persons who view a tape are identified in a written log. Neither the parent nor guardian of the student that has been videotaped, nor the student will be allowed to view the video tape in accordance with data privacy laws, unless the student is the only subject of the videotape or the building principal has obtained written permission from the parents/ guardians of all other students on the video tape for them to be viewed. Upon written request the school district will provide a written summary of the taped incident(s) of a student pictured on a tape to the student's parents/guardians.

The bus company will be responsible for the security of the video equipment and for the handling of videotapes. A log will be kept at the bus company that will record the day and time each camera was used in each bus. Videotapes will be reviewed by the bus company safety director and kept for at least 72 hours before being reused. If there is a request by the Transportation Department or building principal to view a tape, that tape will be held until a meeting can be arranged. Tape retained as part of an individual student's disciplinary record shall be maintained in accordance with law and school board policy governing the access, review, and release of student records.

Special Education bus transportation
Special Education students frequently have special transportation requirements. One requirement is that someone must be available at the child's home at the close of the school day when the child is transported home. If no one is at home to receive the child, the bus driver will transport the child back to his or her school and the police may need to be contacted. For Special Education students, the state requires that the district complete, with parent/guardian involvement, a Bus Driver Emergency Card.

The District 16 Transportation Department develops bus routes based upon where students need to be picked up in the morning.

Unless informed otherwise, transportation personnel assume that your child(ren) will be picked up and/or dropped off at the parent/guardian home.

Also, please note that the district allows for only one designated bus stop, Monday through Friday, for your child's safety.

If your child or children need to be picked up or dropped off at a location other than your home, and you have not informed us of that fact, please fill out this form. If you make a change in daycare, which affects your child's pick-up or drop-off location, you will also need to fill out this form.

Should you change daycare locations, please make sure that the daycare site is in the same school boundaries and morning or afternoon kindergarten boundaries.

Keep in mind that after returning this form to the Transportation Department, it may take up to three days for a change to take effect.

Emergency bus procedures :
1. Be silent, remain seated, do not panic.
2. Listen for the driver's instructions.
3. Move quickly from your seat to the designated exit upon the driver's instruction.
4. Exit carefully.
5. Help each other; use the buddy system. Older students should help the younger ones.
6. Walk to a safe waiting area, remain with the group. Wait for further instruction.