Safety is first priorty as buses prepare to roll

By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

A fleet of 161 yellow school buses operated by the Fayette County School District will start their daily routes Aug. 16, first day of the new school year.

There are 23 spanking new buses on the road, obtained through a lease/purchase arrangement with the Georgia School Boards Association. All vehicles recently passed an annual inspection conducted by the Georgia State Patrol.

The school system's transportation department transports all eligible children in the district. The department transports more than 12,200 regular students and approximately 100 special education students daily, during the school year.

All Fayette County bus drivers receive 65 hours of classroom instruction, on the road driving and hold commercial drivers' licenses. Each year, they are administered a skills evaluation test.

All students riding buses must adhere to the following safety rules:

ä Students will follow the directions of the driver.

ä Students should be at the bus stop five minutes before the bus arrives, waiting in a safe place, clear of traffic and 10 feet from where the bus stops.

ä Students will wait in an orderly line and avoid playing.

ä Students will cross the roadway in front of the bus after the bus has stopped, they have looked at the bus driver for a hand signal, and they have looked in both directions for traffic — left, right and left.

ä Students will signal the driver with a waving motion if something is dropped and wait for the driver to give a signal before picking up the object.

ä Students will go directly to an available or assigned seat, bottoms against the bottoms of the seat, and keep hands to themselves.

ä Students will not eat, drink, chew gum, or bring tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or any controlled substance on the bus.

ä Students will not carry animals, glass objects, nuisance items, hazardous materials, or weapons onto the bus. Students may carry only objects that can be held in their laps.

ä Students will refrain from using loud voices, profanity and/or obscene gestures, and respect the rights and safety of others.

ä Students will not extend head, arms or objects out of the bus windows.

ä Students will be totally silent at railroad crossings.

ä Students will stay seated until it is time to get off the bus. The open bus door is the signal to get up from the bus seat.

ä Students must provide a written note, signed by a parent or guardian and a school official, giving permission to ride a different bus, or get on or off the bus at a different bus stop.

ä Student will help keep their buses clean and in good, safe condition.

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