School Bus Transportation Rules & Regulations

North Branford Public Schools

2010‑2011 School Transportation Information

Administration Board of Education

Scott Schoonmaker Marcey Onofrio, Chairperson Superintendent of Schools DATTCO Shannon Miscio, Vice-Chair

Donald A. Winnicki 203-466-1244 David McMahon, Secretary

Director of Personnel and Business Deborah Prunier

Christopher Manna

School Bus Transportation Rules and Regulations

Bus routes and assignments of pupils to stops are made by the bus contractor in accordance with Board guidelines and are reviewed annually and subject to change. This year, the entire system was modified to incorporate tiers of K-2, 3-5 and 6-12. Therefore, it is likely we will need to modify stop times during the school year to accommodate actual route times. During the first several weeks of school, routes and times are often adjusted to assure timely arrival at school. Pupils will be picked up and discharged only at designated stops. Requests to change the location of a bus stop will only be considered for legitimate safety reasons. As stated in the Guidelines, parental requests are reviewed by the bus contractor and the Director of Personnel and Business who also acts as Transportation Coordinator. The bus contractor will inform the parent making the request of any approved changes.

Bus stops will not be changed for any of the following reasons:

· the stop used to be somewhere else,

· the stop cannot be seen from the home,

· other young children are at home and cannot be left alone, or

· the bus goes by my house anyway.

The bus driver does not have the authority to change stops.

If you have questions about school bus transportation, contact DATTCO 203-466-1244.

The following also apply:

· Regular buses do not pick up or drop off students on private roads or cul‑de‑sacs.

· We try to run AM and PM routes so children with a longer AM ride will have a shorter PM ride and vice versa.

· Requests for transportation on an alternate bus or to or from a different stop will only be considered if the request is permanent in nature ‑ the same pick up and/or drop off point each day. All requests must be in writing and are subject to the approval of the school administration based upon available space on the route requested. Requests will take 5-10 school days to become effective.

· Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of their child on the way to and from as well as at the bus stop.

· Children should arrive at bus stops approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time.

· Parents who meet the school bus should wait on the side of the street where the bus stops. Otherwise, children are tempted to rush across the street regardless of traffic.

· AM Kindergarten children are picked up by the regular school bus for their area and brought home by a special PM bus. PM Kindergarten children are picked up by a special bus and brought home by a regular PM school bus for their area. Kindergarten children will not be dropped off without a responsible adult to meet them. They will be returned to their school or another safe location to await parents.

· An activity bus is run for NBIS and NBHS students. This bus has limited drop offs, determined by the driver.

· A trial run for grades K-5 will be held the morning of Monday, August 30^th.

The first day of school is September 2, 2010. It is a full day.

Kindergarten sessions will remain the same all year.

Regular School Hours

School Grade Start Dismissal

Jerome Harrison 1, 2 8:50 a.m. 3:15 p.m.

A.M. Kdg 8:50 a.m. 11:35 a.m.

P.M. Kdg 12:30 p.m. 3:15 p.m.

Totoket Valley Elementary 3, 4, 5 8:20 a.m. 2:45 p.m.

North Branford Intermediate 6, 7, 8 7:40 a.m. 2:05 p.m.

North Branford High School 9, 10, 11, 12 7:30 a.m. 1:57 p.m.