Dear Parent/Guardian,

We are pleased to be transporting your child to and from school this year. We are very proud of the safety record of our school buses and the professionalism of our transportation team.

Lowville Central School Bus Policy

1.  Students will be allowed one primary drop-off location and one alternative (secondary) drop-off location. Both destinations will be kept on file in the school's Main Office.
2. ***SEND IN A NOTE EACH DAY YOUR CHILD IS TO GO TO THEIR ALTERNATIVE (secondary) LOCATION. Notes requesting changes to locations other than the two listed on the information sheet will not be allowed.
3. Phone calls or e-mails will not be accepted to change the afternoon drop-off location. A written note or in-person visit must occur if the student is to go to their alternative location or be picked up.
4. Understand that it is the parent’s responsibility to have an adult present and visible at the drop-off site each afternoon. (Grades PK-4)
5. If an emergency arises, you must speak with the principal. Only the principal can approve these changes.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to provide transportation for non-school activities.

To be eligible for transportation, the Board of Education Eligibility Policy requires you live the following distances from school:

• Grades K-3 more than ½ mile
• Grades 4-6 more than ¾ mile
• Grades 7-12 more than 1 mile

If you are eligible for transportation and are not presently assigned a route, please fill out a transportation request form which you may pick up and drop off at any of the school offices. Every student/family signed up for transportation should receive a postcard identifying their bus route, driver, morning pick up and afternoon drop off time. We try to adjust pick-up and drop-off times as close as possible but please allow a 10 minute window for pick-up and drop-off times. Please call 315-376-7212 if you have not received this information or have any questions regarding transportation.

Please help us ensure your child’s safety by following these simple but important procedures:

• Provide your child with a backpack or book bag. Loose papers or other items are dangerous as children get off the bus.
• Check your child’s clothing for the presence of long drawstrings or other dangling items which should be removed from clothing as they could get snagged in the bus door as the child gets off the bus.
• Be sure your child arrives at the designated bus stop five minutes early each day. Children who are late for the bus may panic and chase it, or run into the road.
• Insist that your child wait for the bus safely in an orderly fashion, back from the roadway. Behavior problems at the bus stop can create hazardous conditions for children.
• When the bus arrives, your child should wait for the bus driver’s signal before boarding. Children should board in single file.
• Teach your child to sit quietly on the ride to and from school. Behavior problems distract the bus driver and could result in an accident.

It is important that our drivers are able to concentrate on driving the route safely. If anything makes your child feel unsafe at the bus stop or on the bus ride, please contact the transportation department rather than trying to discuss it at the bus stop.

We are deeply committed to the safety of your child as well as all of our community’s children.

Thank you!

Amy L. Green, Transportation Supervisor

(315) 376-7212