Transportation & Maintenance Department

1007 W. 5th Pratt, KS 67124

Phone 620-672-4590

Bus Transportation Policy:
In order to allow our district to provide appropriate and safe transportation for your children (our students), we are asking parents' cooperation with Items One and Two below. These guidelines reinforce the fact that the school day, in essence, starts for students when they board the bus and ends when they depart each evening.

Item I - General Bus Transportation Guidelines
In order to facilitate more accurate scheduling of our bus transportation routes and allow each rider to know when buses will be picking them up, it is necessary for students to be prompt in boarding the bus each morning and evening. The bus will wait no longer than 3 minutes at each stop in the morning, during which time the horn will be sounded after 30 seconds of waiting and again after 2 minutes of waiting. After 3 minutes the bus will leave, and it will be necessary for parents or guardians to provide other transportation for their student. Please plan to have your child ready a few minutes in advance of normal pickup time, so a bus that may arrive slightly early will not be required to wait.

Evening buses will depart scheduled loading spots at scheduled times. If your child misses the bus, they are asked to return to their school's office and call a parent or guardian to provide transportation.

If your child is not going to ride the bus in the morning, please notify the driver in advance or call 672-4590 as soon as possible so that bus drivers may be notified. It will be assumed that children not at the scheduled pick up point for the afternoon bus are not riding.

Kindergarten students' parents or designees are asked to meet their child at the bus at the appropriate drop off time. If a parent or guardian is not present to meet the kindergarten student, then the student will remain on the bus while the route is completed. The driver may then decide to return the child to their house or return to school. In either case, the parent or guardian wil be notified as soon as possible.

Item II - Bus Discipline Policy/Procedure
The following policy will be used to help enforce proper behavior expected on buses. In all cases of suspension from bus riding privileges, the parent or guardian will be provided notification of such action. The building administrator has the option to deviate from these guidelines when the situation warrants it.
    Discipline Actions
        1) The first occurrence will result in a Bus Conduct Report being filed with the student's attendance center principal.
        - The principal will review proper bus behavior with the student involved.
        - The parent or guardian of the student will be notified of the behavior problem.
        2) The second occurrence will result in suspension of the student from bus riding privileges for a period of 3 days. Parent(s) or guardian will be notified.
        3) The third occurrence will result in suspension of the student from bus riding privileges for 5 days. Parent(s) or guardian will be notified.
        4) The fourth occurrence will result in suspension of the student from bus riding privileges for the remainder of the semester. Parent(s) or guardian will be notified.

**Students who have been suspended from bus riding privileges the first semester will automatically start on Step 3, (5 day suspension) if repeat violations occur the second semester.