BUS TRANSPORTATION

 TRANSPORTATION
 Certain laws and regulations govern the operation of school buses. Transportation by school buses will be provided for those students living one and one-half miles or more from the school according to S.C. Department of Education guidelines. Buses stop every two-tenths of a mile when necessary.

Ms. Trottie is the transportation supervisor for our school. She is responsible for bus routes, drivers, and school bus regulations. She is located at Silver Bluff High School and may be contacted using the following phone numbers: 803-652-8102, 803-652-8100, or 803-279-1373.

Redcliffe Elementary School does not accept transportation changes over the telephone for your child’s safety. Please send a dated note with your signature and address to which he/she is going in your child’s agenda or folder, send an email to your classroom teacher, or send a fax requesting the transportation change.

BUS RULES

1.  Follow the bus driver’s directions.

2.  Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

3.  Sit in the seat and remain seated while the bus is in motion.

4.  Do not use profane or obscene language, gestures, or make loud and distracting noises. Students should talk quietly with the person in the same bus seat.

5.  Avoid damage to seats, windows, or bus equipment.

6.  Do not use tobacco products or other unauthorized materials on the bus.

IF A STUDENT CHOOSES TO BREAK BUS RULES

First Offense   Warning to the student and letter to parent advising them of such misconduct, unless the offense is of a nature, which in the judgment of school officials warrants a suspension from riding the school bus.

Second Offense  Suspension from riding the bus for a period of two days and a letter to parents. The suspension letter will be mailed to the parent and the student will also receive one to deliver.

 Third Offense   Suspension from riding the bus for a period of three days and a letter to parents. The suspension letter will be mailed to the parent and the student will also receive one to deliver.

Fourth Offense  Suspension from riding the bus for a period of five days and a letter to parents. The suspension letter will be mailed to the parent and the student will also receive one to deliver.

Fifth Offense   Suspension from riding the bus for a period of ten days and a letter to parents. The suspension letter will be mailed to the parent and the student will also receive one to deliver. A conference at the end of this period between parent, administrator, bus supervisor, bus driver, and student will be required before bus privileges may be restored.

Sixth Offense   If after a fifth offense, a student persists in uncontrollable conduct while riding a school bus to and from school, (s)he will then be suspended from riding a school bus for the remainder of the school year.  In such cases, all circumstances will be thoroughly reviewed by school officials before action is taken. Once the action is taken, it may be appealed only to the Area 5 Advisory Council and the Aiken County Board of Education.

When a student makes it necessary to suspend him/her from riding the bus, it is the sole responsibility of the parent to transport the student. The parent must comply with regular school hours. If the student is repeatedly tardy or not picked up on time, the suspension may result in school suspension. We need and must have the complete cooperation of all parents.

If the misconduct is of such a nature that the driver cannot finish the trip, he may return to school so that immediate contact may be made with a parent, or he may stop to telephone the principal or the bus supervisor.

BUS PROCEDURES

1.  Students will dismount school buses and report directly to their assigned areas where a teacher will be on duty from 7:00 a.m. until 7:30 a.m.

2.  Students who need to pay lunch money should go directly to the cafeteria and then report to their area.

3.  When the 7:30 a.m. bell rings, students may enter their classrooms.

4.  Upon dismissal from school at 2:15 p.m., students are to walk directly to their school bus in the bus parking lot.  Students are expected to follow all established school rules of conduct while on the campus before and after the regular school day hours.

CAR TRANSPORTATION

The safety of all children, teachers, and parents is a concern at Redcliffe Elementary School. In an effort to plan for the safety of all, we ask that you follow these rules:

• From 7:00 A.M. until 7:40 A.M., students are to enter the building in the morning using the double-red doors located near the cafeteria.

• The tardy bell rings at 7:40 A.M. and students are to use the double-red doors to the office to enter the building. They should go to the office to obtain a tardy slip.

• All students should be dropped-off and picked-up using the carline only. Please do not drop-off your child in the parking lot or wave for him/her to come to your car in the afternoons (This requires us to stop the carline and increases the chance of an accident).

• Please do not park in the “No Parking” zones. These are marked with signs and yellow paint.

• If you should need to come into the building with your child, please park in the parking lot and use the crosswalk to get to the walkway. Please wait for the crossing guard to stop traffic before crossing. Walking between cars is not a safe practice.

• In the carline, please do not exit your car while parked/waiting in the carline. The congestion of parents on the walkway makes it very unsafe for the children and difficult for the children to be supervised by the staff on duty.

• The benches are for the children to sit on while waiting patiently and orderly to be pick-up in the afternoons. These benches are for the students only.

• Older siblings are asked to go to the bench area of younger siblings. By doing this, parents will only be required to make one stop.

• Cars are requested to pull as far forward as possible. This allows for the unloading and loading of eight cars at one time. In the mornings, the safety patrol will help escort younger students to their classrooms. In the afternoons, staff members on duty will gather children and assist them in entering cars.