Jump to the below sections:

• Pre-K and Kindergarten Policies
• Interesting School Bus Facts
• Oregon state law – Riding the School Bus
• School Bus Safety

Pre-K and Kindergarten Policies

It is very important to communicate to the District who is authorized to pick up your preschool or kindergarten student. The driver will not drop them off without an authorized person at the bus stop. If this should occur, the student will be returned to their home school.

Interesting School Bus Facts

• Approximately 480,000 yellow school buses carry 25 million children to and from school every weekday.
• David Douglas transports approximately 5000 students per day. David Douglas drivers have an excellent safety record.
• Only half of America’s students take the school bus to school; the others use more dangerous forms of transportation.
• According to the National Academy of Sciences, an average of 820 students are killed annually during school transportation hours, but less than 2% of them are school bus passengers.
• In the United States we lose more than 800 children every year because they are not in school buses. Most of the fatalities (55%) occur in cars driven by teenagers.
• School buses are required to meet higher construction, equipment, and inspection standards than any other vehicle and their drivers are required to meet higher qualifications, training, and testing standards than any other drivers on the road.
• The nationwide safety record for the 25 million children who do not ride school buses to and from school each day
  • 448 fatalities in passenger vehicles with a teenage driver
  • 169 fatalities in passenger vehicles with an adult driver
  • 131 fatalities to pedestrians
  • 46 fatalities to bicyclists
• The nationwide safety record for the 25 million children who ride the school buses to and from school each day.
  • 5 passenger fatalities
  • 15 pedestrian fatalities at school bus stops

Oregon State Law – Riding the Bus

RULES GOVERNING PUPILS RIDING SCHOOL BUSES OAR 581-53-010

1. Pupils being transported are under authority of the bus driver.
2. Fighting, wrestling, or boisterous activity is prohibited on the bus.
3. Pupils shall use the emergency door only in case of emergency.
4. Pupils shall be on time for the bus both morning and evening.
5. Pupils shall not bring animals, except approved assistance guide animals, firearms, weapons, or other potentially hazardous materials on the bus.
6. Pupils shall remain seated while the bus is in motion.
7. Pupils may be assigned seats by the bus driver.
8. When necessary to cross the road, pupils shall cross in front of the bus or as instructed by the bus driver.
9. Pupils shall not extend their hands, arms, or heads through bus windows.
10. Pupils shall have written permission to leave the bus other than at home or school.
11. Pupils shall converse in normal tones; loud or vulgar language is prohibited.
12. Pupils shall not open or close windows without permission of the bus driver.
13. Pupils shall keep the bus clean and refrain from damaging it.
14. Pupils shall be courteous to the driver, to fellow pupils, and passersby.
15. Pupils who refuse to obey promptly the directions of the driver or refuse to obey regulations may forfeit their privilege to ride on the buses.
16. Rules Governing Pupils Riding School Buses must be kept posted in a conspicuous place in all school buses.

School Bus Safety

Parents play an important role in reinforcing school bus safety, by knowing the rules and talking to their children about them.

Students riding a school bus should always:

• Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early.
• Stand at least 5 giant steps (10 feet) away from the edge of the road. * Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says it’s okay before stepping onto the bus.
• Be careful that clothing and drawstrings and book bags with straps or dangling objects do not get caught in the handrail or door when exiting the bus.
• Check both ways for cars before stepping off the bus.

Crossing students should:

• Walk in front of the bus; never walk behind the bus.
• Walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least 10 giant steps ahead of the bus.
• Be sure the bus driver can see them, and they can see the bus driver.
• Wait for the driver’s signal to cross.

There are busy streets in our district that we do not allow elementary students to cross;  we provide stops on both sides to prevent this from happening.  

Things KIDS should know about school bus safety:

• The bus driver and others cannot see you if you are standing closer than 10 feet to the bus. Stay out of the danger zone!
• If something falls under or near the bus, tell the driver. NEVER try to pick it up yourself!
• While waiting for the bus, stay in a safe place away from the street.
• If you are late, never run after the bus (you could accidentally fall under the bus).
• Be alert to traffic. When you get on or off the bus, look left, right, left before you enter or cross the street.
• When the driver says it is safe to cross the street, remember to CROSS IN FRONT of the bus.
• Stay in your seat and sit quietly so that the driver is not distracted.

Things PARENTS should know about school bus safety:

• School buses are the safest form of highway transportation.
• The most dangerous part of the school bus ride is getting on and off the bus.
• Pedestrian fatalities (while loading and unloading school buses) account for approximately three times as many school bus-related fatalities, when compared to school bus occupant fatalities.
• The “Danger Zone” is the area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of not being seen by the driver (ten feet in front of the bus where the driver may be too high to see a child, ten feet on either side of the bus where a child may be in the driver’s blind spot, and the area behind the bus).
• Half of the pedestrian fatalities in school bus-related crashes are children between 5 and 7 years old.

Young children are most likely to be struck because they:

• Hurry to get on and off the bus.
• Act before they think and have little experience with traffic.
• Assume motorists will see them and will wait for them to cross the street.
• Don’t always stay within the bus driver’s sight.

Additional safety rules:

• Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
• Be courteous and respectful to personal property and others while at your bus stop.
• Be courteous and respectful to others while riding the bus.
• No chewing gum or eating candy.
• No animals on the bus.
• No glass objects on the bus.
• No weapons or other potentially hazardous materials on the bus.
• No balloons, skateboards or large unsecured items on the bus.
• Kindergartners should wear their I.D. tags all year long.
• Label clothing, book bags, lunch pails, etc. with name, phone number and school.
• Put all trash in garbage cans.