A note for Kindergartener parents/guardians whose student rides a bus from First Student Location Manager, Tammy Lang:
I wanted to revisit the subject of parents walking kindergarteners to the door of the bus. While some parents are good about this, many stand a bus-length or more away, and many wait in their cars.
The latter can be particularly dangerous when we have a kindergartener who rides on more than one bus.
Just this month, there was a tragic story from Maine involving a kindergartener and a school bus. Such a tragedy is unimaginable. The space between a school bus and a parent is the most dangerous place a kindergarten student will find themselves on a daily instance; this is the reason that the district requires that parents close that gap by walking their students all the way to the door of the bus. You can see the relevant sections of the KPBSD Transportation guidelines quoted in my previous email below.
Thank you all, and a big kudos to those parents who already walk their students all the way to the bus.
Thanks for helping us keep the littlest ones safe.
The following is the section of transportation guidelines from the District website relating to transportation of kindergarten students.
KPBSD Transportation Guidelines
Regular Education Routes
Page 2 Revised 07/31/2015
Grade K students must be escorted to the bus in the morning and met at the bus door in the afternoon by their parent/guardian, approved alternate (middle school or older sibling, aunt/uncle, grandparent, etc.), or may be escorted directly from the bus by a sibling in Grade 4 or higher. No drops will be made at day care facilities that do not have personnel available to meet the child at the bus.
– If your kindergarten student is not met at the bus or the driver perceives a danger at the bus stop that prevents your older child being let off the bus at that time — the following “Safe Haven” procedure will be followed.
o Driver will notify dispatch who the child is and where they should have gotten
off at. They will keep the child on board and continue with the run.
o Dispatch will make every reasonable effort to contact you at your primary or first designated emergency contact phone number before the bus is finished with the run.
o If they cannot speak with an adult to arrange a place to meet, we will transport the child to the Boys & Girls Clubhouse nearest their school* for Safe Haven shelter.
o You are responsible for contacting the Clubhouse and picking up your child before 6 PM.
Seward Club @ Seward TYC (907.224.5472) for Seward and Moose Pass students.
Thank you, and please reach out if you have any questions I can answer.
Tammy (Tamara) Lang
First Student Seward Location Manager
Office: (907)224-3559
Dispatch Cell: (229)429-6039
Personal # (After Hours): (562)-896-4968
PO Box 537, Seward AK 99664
tamara.lang@firststudentinc.com