Bus Rider Safety Guide

1. If school is in session, the buses will run. School will be dismissed only upon instruction from the Superintendent of Schools.

2. School closings will be communicated via the following media outlets:

• FOX – Channel 4
• NBC – Channel 5
• WFAA – Channel 8
• CBS – Channel 11
• Facebook – Crandall ISD
• Instagram – @OfficialCISD
• Twitter - @OfficialCISD
• Skyward notification (Parent Square)

• Follow the driver’s instructions.
• If you must leave the bus, stay in a group.
• The student nearest to the door will open and hold it open
• Leave the bus in a single file line as quietly as possible.
• Evacuation will start with the seat closest to the door.
• Once outside the bus, follow the driver’s instructions completely
• Students will not be released to a parent or guardian at the scene of the emergency/accident.

1. Go straight home or to your designated caregiver as soon as you get off the bus. Do not go anywhere else without your parent or guardian’s permission.

2. The District’s custodial responsibility ends when you exit the bus. Your parents/guardians are then responsible for your behavior or actions

The District is not responsible for any item brought on or left on the school bus by a student. A student bringing an item on the bus including an electronic device does so at his/her own risk. The District will not be responsible for any damage, lost or stolen electronic devices.

If your eligible student is riding for the first time, please complete the Transportation Registration Form.

• Remain seated at all times. Each student is to remain seated for the duration of the trip, and remain seated until the park brake is applied and the bus door opens.
• Do not change seats. Students are required to sit in their assigned seat. They cannot refuse to sit in their assigned seat and cannot deny another student a place to sit.
• Fighting, horseplay, and the use of obscene or vulgar language and/or gestures is forbidden and may result in immediate denial of bus privileges.
• Do not throw or spit objects inside or outside the bus.
• Do not mark, cut, or scratch any part of the bus.
• The emergency door and exit controls should be used by students only during supervised drills or actual emergencies.
• Students will not eat, drink, or chew gum on the bus. Water only is permitted on hot days.
• Students will face forward for the duration of the trip, and shall keep their feet on the floor in front of them and out of the bus aisle. Keep all body parts inside the bus and to yourself.

NOTE: Students that engage in conduct considered dangerous to the health and safety of themselves or to others will be subject to immediate emergency removal from the school bus.

P.O. Box 128
400 W. Lewis St.
Crandall, TX 75114
Transportation office: 972-427-6024

Thank you for reviewing this information with your student(s) and helping ensure their safety to and from school. Best wishes for a successful school year!

• All students living on the left side of the roadway shall exit the bus and move to a point of 15 feet in front of the right bumper and wait for the driver to signal that it is safe to cross.
• Check in both directions and walk directly across the road.
• Never cross the road behind the bus.
• Watch out for cars that do not stop when the bus is loading and unloading students.
• Cross all streets at intersections. Obey all traffic signals and signs on your way home.

The school bus is an extension of the classroom and the coordinator of safety and school discipline will administer discipline with the assistance from the director of transportation. All school board policies that apply to student conduct and other student-related activities apply also to the school bus.

Cameras will run at all times to record students’ behavior for bus safety.

Description of Infractions
Category I: Minor Infractions
Include, but are not limited to the following:

• Jumping from seat to seat
• Not scanning your student ID badge to get on/off the bus
• Not wearing a seat belt if equipped (state law)
• Not staying in the seat while the bus is in motion (state law).
• Being disrespectful to the driver
• Not following the bus driver’s directions
• Screaming, yelling, or making loud and distracting noises
• Not keeping hands and feet to self
• Eating or drinking on the bus
• Not meeting the bus promptly
• Not boarding or exiting the bus at student’s designated stop
• Putting head, arms, hands, or any object out the window
• Chasing after the bus
• Horse playing/pushing/shoving

Category II: Major Infractions
Include, but not limited to the following:

• Accumulating (3) three minor infractions
• Being defiant or disrespectful to the bus driver.
• Instigating a fight
• Vandalism or destruction of the school bus
• Abusing or stealing another student’s property
• Use of tobacco, lighters, vapes, drugs or alcohol
• Any unauthorized use of emergency exits
• Using profanity or making offensive remarks and/or gestures
• Using another student’s student ID badge

Category III

• Throwing objects inside, outside, or at the bus
• Lewd conduct
• Threatening the driver
• Fighting/bullying
• Bringing a weapon on the bus
• Any conduct in violation of Texas Education Code Sec 37.001 that is a felony, misdemeanor, or requires immediate removal from the bus

The following is an outline of the Bus Discipline Procedure:

• Step 1: The driver will inform the student of the problem behavior. The student will be given a verbal warning for misconduct. Every effort will be made to solve the problem prior to reporting the student to the coordinator of safety and school discipline.
• Step 2: The uniform disciplinary action for Crandall ISD will be:
  • First and Second Minor Infractions: The driver will submit a conduct form to the coordinator of safety and student discipline to contact the parents/guardians in an effort to correct the situation.
  • Third infraction will result in suspension from the bus.
  • The director of transportation or coordinator of safety and student discipline has the authority to skip steps for serious violations, or to repeat them if the misconduct is not a serious safety violation.

Bus Rider Discipline Policy

Discipline Consequences for PK–Fifth Grade

• First Offense: Verbal warning by administrator and parent/guardian notified.
• Second Offense: Verbal warning by administrator and parent/guardian notified.
• Third Offense: Three-day suspension of bus riding privileges.
• Fourth Offense: Five-day suspension of bus riding privileges.
• Fifth Offense: Six-week suspension of bus privileges.
• Sixth Offense: Suspension of bus privileges for the remainder of the school year.

Discipline Consequences for Sixth-12th Grade

• First Offense: Verbal warning by administrator and parent/guardian notified.
• Second Offense: Verbal warning by administrator and parent notified.
• Third Offense: Five-day suspension of bus riding privileges.
• Fourth Offense: Six-week suspension of bus riding privileges.
• Fifth Offense: Suspension of bus privileges for remainder of the school year.

Examples of behavior which constitute immediate removal from the bus are listed below.

All Category III Offenses
Based on the severity of the discipline violation, immediate loss of bus privileges may result
at the discretion of the administrator.

• Vandalism (Students will not be allowed back on the bus until compensation for the damage has been made. $75.00 for graffiti removal, $100.00 for cover replacement).
• Throwing objects out of the bus (students will be responsible for paying for any damage done from objects thrown from a bus).
• Assault/fighting/bullying
• Sexual harassment or lewd conduct
• Possession of tobacco, drugs, or alcohol
• Injury to another student
• Verbal or physical abuse to the bus driver
• Possession of hazardous materials on the bus (lighters, matches, dangerous liquids or gasses)
• Possession of a weapon (knife, gun, or object discerned as a weapon)

1. Bus rider rules apply to all school-sponsored events.

2. Discipline will be the responsibility of the campus principal in coordination with transportation department.

• Students will be respectful to the driver and fellow students.
• Seating assignments will be arranged by the driver and students are to remain in their assigned seat for the duration of the trip.
• Students will board and leave the bus at their designated stop only.
• It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to provide transportation to school if their child misses the bus.
• If students do not ride for five (5) consecutive days the stop will be taken off the route unless parents/guardians notify the transportation department.
• Parents/guardians are forbidden to get on the bus. Only authorized school personnel may enter the bus. Questions concerning the bus or a bus driver’s actions are to be directed to the director of transportation or the coordinator of safety and school discipline. Bus or bus driver concerns will not be addressed at the bus stop. If a parent does get on the bus, the driver will notify dispatch and the Crandall ISD Police Department, and the video will be pulled for a possible citation.
• Do not ask to ride home on another bus with a friend without a signed note from home. Notes must be signed by the student’s campus administrator and a bus pass will be given to the student. Parent/guardian notes will not be accepted by the driver.

• Always follow the driver’s direction
• Enter and leave the vehicle in an orderly manner at the designated stop.
• Keep feet, books, instrument cases, and other objects out of the aisle.
• Do not deface the vehicle or its equipment.
• Do not put head, hands, arms, or legs out the window, hold any object out of the window, or throw objects within or out of the vehicle.
• Do not possess or use any form of tobacco or ecigarettes in any district vehicle.
• Observe all usual classroom rules.
• Remain seated while vehicle is moving.
• Fasten your seat belts, if available.
• Wait for the driver’s signal upon leaving the vehicle and before crossing in front of the vehicle.
• Use of inappropriate or profane language will not be tolerated.

• Do not push or shove.
• Be prepared to have your student ID badge ready to scan.
• Use handrail and steps. Carry large bags and objects in front of you.
• Go to your assigned seat immediately. The driver will not leave the stop until all passengers are seated.

1. If you miss the bus, return home immediately. Do not run after the bus.

2. Parents should discuss with their child what to do if they miss the bus.

Parents will be able to follow their student(s) along the bus route. By downloading an app, Traversa Ride 360, parents can see the bus on its route.

• Be at your stop ten minutes before the scheduled pickup time. The driver will not wait or honk.
• Stand back from the road while waiting for the bus.
• When the bus approaches, form a line and be prepared to load immediately.
• Stand clear of the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the parking brake has been engaged, and the red loading lights come on.
• The driver will not pick up a student unless they are at their designated stop.
• Do not run after the bus after it has pulled away from the stop.

• Tobacco, alcohol, vapes, glass containers, and balloons.
• Weapons, explosive devices, matches or lighters, harmful drugs, prescription drugs or chemicals.
• Live animals or insects.
• Aerosol/spray containers, perfumes or colognes
• Any object (musical instruments, shop projects, sports equipment, sport balls or baggage) too large to fit under a bus seat or on the student’s lap without imposing on the other students sharing the seat. All other items must be kept on the student’s lap at all times. Parents/Guardians must arrange for other transportation when large, bulky items must be taken to and from school.

Drivers are not responsible for articles left on the bus.

Video cameras will be used in District vehicles for safety and for compliance with the rules of conduct. Video recordings will be viewed by Transportation, School Principals, and Administration Personnel only. Video recordings will not be released from the Transportation Office.

To be eligible for transportation, a student must:

1. Reside within the boundaries of the Crandall ISD and live at least two miles from their assigned school as measured by the nearest commonly traveled public road, or

2. Be an eligible special education student, whose disabilities prevent the use of regular transportation as defined in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

• Stay seated until the bus is completely stopped and the park brake is applied.
• Have your student ID badge out and ready to scan.
• Use the handrail when leaving the bus.
• Wait for your turn to leave the bus; no pushing or shoving.
• You must get off at your designated stop.
• Stay clear of the bus when unloading. Do not chase or hang on to the bus at any time.
• If any article drops or rolls near or under the bus do not go after it. Go to the door of the bus and ask the driver for help.

Parents or a designee must be at the bus door to receive pre-kindergarten–first-grade students. If the bus is on schedule and there is no one to receive the student, the driver will radio dispatch and will continue on the route. At the completion of the route the student will be returned to the campus. The parents will be responsible for picking up the student from that location. If a parent or designated person fails to show up at the bus stop more than three times, a phone call or conference between the parent and director of transportation will be held and an agreement will be made. Students in second grade and up will be dropped off at their designated stop without a parent or designee. It is the parent/guardian’s
responsibility to make sure arrangements are made to receive your child at the stop.

The transportation department will enforce the following bus rules pertaining to cell phones and electronic devices on buses. The use of these items can be detrimental to the safety and well-being of other students and the bus driver.

Cell Phones and Electronic Devices:

• Students who allow their cell phones or electronic devices to become a distraction or disruption on the school bus will be asked to put them away. Failure to do so may result in the student being written up on a discipline referral. If the student is written up three times or more he/she will be suspended from the bus.
• Parents/guardians are asked not to request to speak to the driver on the student’s cell phone. The parents should contact the Transportation Department at (972) 427-6024.
• Students are encouraged to contact their parent/guardian when the bus has been delayed (after 15-20 minutes) and they are getting home late. We strive to keep our buses on schedule; however, some delays are beyond our control. When doing so, do not allow the phone use to become a distraction to the driver.
• Taking pictures or capturing video of other students is prohibited. The driver is not responsible for unauthorized pictures or captured video.
• All electronic devices/cell phones must have headphones or be placed on mute when in use. External noise from any device is not allowed on the school bus.
• The use of any electronic device is a privilege. Students may lose this privilege if they fail to follow safety instructions from the driver.