Transportation
Lloydminster Public School Division provides transportation services to eligible students in accordance with Lloydminster Public School Division Board and Saskatchewan Learning policies. There are many aspects to safely transporting students to and from school. The Board, bus drivers, students and parents share responsibility in the operation of an efficient student transportation system.
Eligibility for Service
The transportation system is designed to serve all eligible students. In order to minimize ride times students are required to gather at designated school bus stops. Contact your designated school for bus route maps and schedules.
Transportation is only provided within the designated area for each school. Parents are responsible for transportation arrangements when the family resides outside of the designated attendance area of the school their children attend.
Student transportation services are available only for eligible student passengers. Busses are not to be used by students to visit a friend’s house, attend birthday parties, etc. Parents are responsible for the transportation of students for play dates, after school employment or any other such activity.
Preparing Your Child
The Lloydminster Public School Division wants to ensure your child's safety and make their experience on the bus a positive one. September is a hectic time. There are many new faces at each school and bus drivers do not have student lists. Until children are completely familiar with their new bus routes, there can be problems such as boarding the wrong bus, missing their stop or no one waiting at the stop to meet them. The school bus driver is your child's friend and wants your child to arrive home safely. To assist the bus driver, ensure you take the following steps:
Help your child to learn where their bus stop is located. Some suggested methods for teaching your child the correct bus stop location are:
Walk with your child from their home or caregivers to their morning bus stop before the school year starts. If possible, walk with them for the first several days of school until you are comfortable that they know where the bus stop is located.
If possible, arrange to have someone (yourself or a caregiver) meet your child at the bus stop. One of the best ways for a young child to recognize their bus stop after school is to see a familiar face. Do this until you are comfortable that your child is confident enough to travel safely from the bus stop to their after school destination.
Prior to the school year starting, drive along the bus route with your child so that they are familiar with the location of the bus stop from the bus “perspective”. Point out landmarks, such as a park or church, that will help your child to identify their correct bus stop.
Talk to your child about their role on the bus. Student bus rides are relatively short in duration, typically less than 10 minutes, so they need to be paying attention for their bus stop.
Remember, parents are responsible for teaching their children the way home from their bus stop.
Have a plan. Make sure your child knows to stay on the bus if they have missed their stop, are on the wrong bus, or if no one is at their stop to meet them. They should not get off the bus. LPSD has a lost child procedure in place. Bus drivers will return young students to their school when they have missed their stop or are unsure of their way home from the bus stop. Note: PM bus stop can be at different address or even on the opposite side of the street.
Kindergarten Students: Complete the yellow bus tag and attach it to your child's outer clothing or backpack where it can be easily seen. The information it contains will help to get your child home safely.
School bus drivers are in continuous contact with the School Division Central Office. Finding the home of a child is much easier than finding a child who got off at the wrong stop. If your child stays on the bus, the driver will ensure your child is looked after.
Parents/Caregivers
Ensure that your child is at the bus stop location and is ready for boarding five minutes prior to the scheduled departure time in the morning. No bus roll call is taken; therefore if your child is not at the bus stop the bus will leave at the scheduled time. Even on cold days students should be at thier bus stops not waiting in thier homes.
Ensure, as necessary, that there is a responsible individual available to meet the school bus after school. Prior to school starting in the fall teach your child where his/her bus stop is located (both a.m. and p.m., as these may be different) so that he/she is aware of the proper bus stop location for drop off at the end of the school day.
Students
Students are expected to arrive at the stop location and be ready to board the bus five minutes prior to the scheduled departure time in the morning.
Remain safely seated at all times while on the bus except to board or disembark from the bus.
Lloydminster Public School Division busses are equipped with digital surveillance equipment. Students may be monitored by digital and audio surveillance devices.
School Bus Rules and Regulations
Students riding on the bus must remember that they are responsible for their conduct to the bus driver and through him/her to the principal of the school. Continued violation of any of the following school bus rules may lead to the loss of riding privileges or to suspension from school.
1. BE AT YOUR BUS STOP FIVE (5) MINUTES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DEPARTURE TIME. 2. REMAIN IN YOUR SEAT, FACING FORWARD, AT ALL TIMES. 3. HELP KEEP THE BUS CLEAN AND FREE OF LITTER 4. NO FOOD OR DRINK TO BE CONSUMED ON THE SCHOOL BUS 5. NO SMOKING 6. NO OBJECTS TO BE THROWN ON OR FROM THE BUS 7. NO OBSCENE LANGUAGE 8. NO ROUGHHOUSING 9. COST FOR REPAIRS TO BUSSES DAMAGED BY STUDENTS WILL BE INVOICED TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS 10. STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE TO THEIR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WHILE RIDING SCHOOL BUSSES. RESPECT FOR OPERATORS AND SUPERVISORS IS EXPECTED. 11. INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR WILL BE REPORTED TO SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
Equipment on Busses
Band instruments are allowed on the bus if they can be held firmly between the child's legs during the bus ride.
In compliance with the Federal Safety Regulations the following items are NOT allowed on school busses:
- Sleds/Toboggans
- Skateboards
- Scooters
- Hockey/Lacrosse Sticks
- Baseball Bats
- any other items that can not be contained within the students backpack.
Skates may be brought to school on the bus but MUST be in a duffle bag or similar, not carried loose or in a plastic bag.
If a student needs or wishes to bring an item to school that does not meet these standards, they will be required to have the item transported to and from school by the parent/guardian.
Consequences of Student Misconduct
Student passengers are responsible for their conduct while riding a school bus. Incidents of misconduct will be reported to the student’s principal. Principals are responsible for ensuring appropriate student conduct on school busses in the same manner as they would in a classroom.
Misconduct on school busses will be investigated and reviewed by school principals in the same manner as would occur had the misconduct taken place at the school. The Lloydminster Public School Division busses are equipped with video surveillance equipment. Students may be monitored by video and audio surveillance devices.
Upon review of an incident of misconduct the principal will take appropriate disciplinary actions. This may include the withdrawal of student transportation services.
Street Safety
School zones are in effect continuous from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily when schools are in session. School bus loading zones provide a safe area for students to embark and disembark the buses. Parents picking up or dropping off their children should not use these areas. They should be aware of the dangers of allowing their children to jaywalk or run between the buses. Children should be instructed in the proper crossing procedures when disembarking the bus at the end of the day. They should:
Leave bus promptly but safely Cross several feet in front of bus, where bus driver can see them and bus safety lights and stop arm are in operation to stop the flow of traffic.
Bus Safety for Winter Months
Bus students and parents are reminded that extra caution should be taken during the winter months. Please take a moment and review this important information with your children.
Children should be dressed appropriately for the colder weather. Unexpected mechanical problems with the bus may occur more frequently at this time of year. Children must be prepared for this as buses cool off very quickly. LPSD schools rarely close due to snow or cold temperatures. Assume that schools are open unless you hear otherwise through local radio stations.
In town school bus service will only be canceled in the event of mechanical failure of a school bus. Information regarding bus service is dispersed through the local radio stations. Schools are notified ASAP of such a cancellation.
Usually cold or stormy weather can result in bus schedules being unavoidably delayed. We encourage parents to use extra caution with children on those days. Children should be accompanied to the bus stop or have very clear instructions on what to do if the bus does not arrive. Never leave children at the stop with no backup arrangements for an emergency.
A build-up of ice and snow can create a safety hazard for children waiting at the bus stop. Ensure that your child understands the importance of standing back from the curb as the bus approaches the bus stop.
Children will find it easier to walk through the ice and snow when their schoolbooks and lunches are carried in a backpack. It is also much safer for them to board the bus with their hands free to use the bus handrail.
City Bussing and Attendance Area
1. All CITY bussing maps will be posted at the schools the week prior to the start of the school year. a. walk zones will be clearly marked. 4. Families wishing to attend a school other than the designated school must obtain and attendance area exception from the Director of Education. If accepted, parents may be required to provide thier own transportation.
Rural Bussing and Attendance Area
1. All students being bussed by North West S.D. (Saskatchewan Rural) are designated to attend: a. Grades K - 6 attend Queen Elizabeth Elementary School b. Grades 7 - 9 attend E. S. Laird Middle School c. Grades 10 - 12 attend Lloydminster Comprehensive High School
2. All students being bussed by Buffalo Trail S.D.(Alberta Rural) are designated to attend: a. Grades K - 6 - north of Highway #16 attend Queen Elizabeth Elementary School b. Grades K - 6 - south of Highway #16 attend Jack Kemp Elementary School c. Grades 7 - 9 attend E. S. Laird Middle School d. Grades 10 - 12 attend Lloydminster Comprehensive High School
3 All Alberta land descriptions are "West of the Fourth" or "W4" (west of the Meridian)
4. All Saskatchewan land descriptions are "West of the Third" of "W3" (up to the Meridian)
5. Students residing in designated attendance areas on either side of the provincial border are eligible to receive bussing service from their resident school division.
a. Attendance areas are determined by the resident Board of Education (i.e. Buffalo Trail S.D. or North West S.D.) b. Attendance area maps are located in the office of the Superintendent of Administration. c. Families residing in the above noted attendance areas must contact their resident division to arrange for bussing service.
i. Buffalo Trail S.D. - (Alberta Side) - (780) -806-2054 ii. Northwest S.D. - (Saskatchewan Side) - (306) 845-2150 d. Designated schools as per point's number 1. and 2. above apply to all students. e. Families wishing to attend a school other than the designated school must obtain an attendance area exception
in writing from the Director of Education. If accepted, parents may be required to provide transportation for the student.
6. Currently, these students are not required to pay tuition fees.
7. Alberta students residing outside the bussing area may meet a rural bus for transportation to Lloydminster upon approval from the Director of Transportation.. Saskatchewan residents residing outside the bussing area may not.
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