565: School Bus Safety
Responsible Administrator: Associate Superintendent Corporate Services
PURPOSE
Sturgeon Public Schools has an obligation to provide safe school bus service for its students.
PROCESS
The Associate Superintendent Corporate Services shall maintain this Administrative Procedure.
PROCEDURE
1. All school bus operators employed by the Board or operating a school bus contracted by the Board will be required to have an “S.” endorsement on their Class 1 or Class 2 driver’s license.
2. All school bus operators are encouraged to participate in Division sponsored professional development activities.
3. School bus operators shall, as part of their regular duties, conduct a safety check of their school bus prior to each trip.
4. Caution is to be exercised at all railway crossings. Procedures as outlined in Section 104 of the Highway Traffic Act of Alberta shall be followed at all uncontrolled railway crossings.
5. School bus passengers who are required to cross a roadway to get on or off of a school bus shall always cross the roadway at least 4.5 meters in front of the bus and shall only cross after having received a pre-arranged signal from the driver of the bus indicating that it is safe to cross.
6. A school bus operators shall not move their school bus after discharging passengers until they have determined that each discharged passenger has reached a point of safety.
7. Whenever a school bus is required to make a turnaround at a private driveway, the turnaround shall be accomplished by backing the bus into the driveway so that it may enter the public roadway in a forward position.
8. Whenever school bus passengers are to be loaded or unloaded in conjunction with a school bus turnaround at a private driveway the students shall always be loaded prior to the school bus turnaround and the students shall always be unloaded after the school bus turnaround is completed.
9. School bus loading or unloading on school premises shall only occur in a designated school bus loading zone.
9.1 The school bus operator shall remain on the bus at all times to supervise the loading and unloading of passengers.
9.2 Prior to departure the school bus operator shall attempt to determine if all passengers are on board the bus and that no passengers are missing.
9.3 At school dismissal time, school buses shall remain in line and shall not leave the school grounds until they have received a signal to do so.
10. Cellular phones are to be used in emergency situations only. Use of the cellular phone during the regular operation of the school bus is prohibited and will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of the contract.
10.1 If an emergency occurs, the bus must be stopped in a safe location for the duration of the call.
References:
Board Policy: 500 Transportation
Highway Traffic Act
History
2020 Jan 29 Initial Approval
Administrative Procedures V. Student Services (Student Transportation)