St. Anne’s Episcopal School

211 Silver Lake Road, Middletown, DE  19709

302-378-3179

Dear Parent/Guardian,

St. Anne’s Episcopal School is pleased to provide limited transportation to families of children at the School.  Our goal is to provide a safe, enjoyable experience, and design routes that combine convenience with minimal time on the bus or van.  This letter is intended to inform you about the safety belt and child restraint requirements, change in transportation process, behavior expectations, and corrective action process.  They are developed to support the goal of our transportation program.  Please review the contents of this letter with your child(ren)

Van/Bus - Seatbelts/Child Restraints:

• All students are required to wear a seat belt while riding on a school bus or van
• All Pre-K students are required to utilize E-Z On Safety harnesses (provided by school) along with a booster seat (provided by parents) while riding a school bus.   
• Van riders are required to ride in a federally approved child booster seat (provided by parents) unless they are 8 years of age or older or weigh more then 66 pounds.

Changes in Transportation Notices:  It is very important that the school administrators are aware of any changes in daily transportation plans.  Whether your child has an athletic practice or game, rehearsal, lessons, tutorial session or anything else, please don’t assume that the bus or van driver knows about the change in plans.   Also, as a courtesy please contact your bus driver in the event your child will not be riding in the morning. Change in transportation forms will be sent in the mid-summer mailing.

-          Please complete a “Change in Transportation” form prior to the day the change will take place.  

-          Please contact Mrs. Massey, Transportation Coordinator, at ext. 342 if you need additional forms or if you have a last minute change in transportation.

Student Behavior:  The guiding principles of respect, responsibility and compassion apply to the student’s behavior on the van/bus as they do during the school day.  We want all experiences to be positive and constructive, including their ride to and from school.  As such, we have provided a list of our expectations for the students who ride our transportation.

Students are expected to:

·        bring in a “Change in Transportation” form each time they will not be riding the bus or van home

·        act and speak in a way that allows the driver to focus on the road

·        not yell or throw objects

·        stay seat belted at all times

·        respect the property of the other passengers and the van/bus itself

·        not say or do anything that is hurtful to anyone on the van and distracting to the driver

·        listen to and follow the directions of the driver

·        enter and exit the van safely, which includes going directly home at the end of the ride

·        not eat or drink on the van/bus at anytime

·        listen to and abide by any requests from the driver

If any student is not adhering to these expectations, the situation will be discussed with the appropriate Division Head, who will follow these steps:

            First time – Meeting with child, followed by a call to the parents

            Second time – Meeting with parents and child with appropriate consequences agreed upon

            Third time – Removal from van/bus for 1 week

            Fourth time – Removal from van the remainder of the year

Morning Procedures

Drivers will not wait more than one minute beyond the scheduled time for a student unless they have heard directly from the family.  The bus driver is not responsible for calling any family who is not present at the bus stop in the morning. If a family knows that they will not be using transportation in the morning, they should call the driver before he or she reaches the stop.

Afternoon Procedures

Drivers should not drop any student off at a stop or home without that student' parents being there. If a family wants their child or children to walk home from the hub stop that must be put in writing directed to the Division Head, and approved by the school. If a family's home is the hub stop, they will not be held responsible nor considered the "parent" for any child other than their own unless the parents notify the school in writing.

Study Session/Play dates

If a family schedules a study session or play date, the family receiving both students is responsible for requesting an extra spot on the van/bus to the Transportation Coordinator at least one day in advance via phone.  A note will be required by both parents the day of the play date/study session.  Permission to ride school transportation will only be allowed if written correspondence is received by both families and there is room on the bus/van.  

Electronic Devices

Electronic devices like I Pods, Game boys or other musical or video devices are permitted for bus and van riders only and are permitted to be used only while in the vans on morning and afternoon routes. The bus drivers in consultation with Division Heads or Head of School will help students and families make appropriate choices about what can be permitted on the buses to help ensure safety and if the driver sees potential distraction or other problems, he or she will ask the child to leave the item at home. Use of electronic devices on vans and buses is at the student and family's own risk; the school cannot be responsible for lost or damaged items. No other electronic devices will be permitted at school.

Cell Phones

Although the school discourages the presence of and use of cell phones, some parents prefer their child to carry a cell phone for safety reasons. Students with such cell phones should never use them on school campus, during school hours or while using school transportation without asking for specific permission from a teacher, coach or van driver.