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. 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 LPSD Division 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.
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 they are aware of the proper bus stop location for drop off at the end of the school day.
Lloydminster Public School Division buses are equipped with digital surveillance equipment. Students may be monitored by digital and audio surveillance devices.
Rules and Regulations
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 buses in the same manner as they would in a classroom.
Misconduct on school buses 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. Continued violation of any of the following school bus rules may lead to the loss of riding privileges or to suspension from school:
- Be at your bus stop five minutes before the scheduled departure time
- Remain in your seat, facing forward at all times
- Help keep the bus clean and free of litter
- No food or drink is to be consumed on the school bus
- No smoking
- No objects are to be thrown on or from the bus
- No obscene language
- No roughhousing
- The cost for repairs to buses damaged by students will be invoiced to the students' household
- Students are responsible to their school principal while riding school buses. Respect for operators and supervisors is expected
- Inappropriate behaviour will be reported to school principals
Equipment on Buses
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 buses:
- 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 duffel 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.