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Corey
Barber, Transportation Coordinator and
NYS Certified School Bus Driving Instructor and
19-A Examiner
Cbarber@gjsd.k12.ny.us
Phone: (518) 762-7911
Fax: (518) 762-8393
Eligibility
Safety
Safety
Drills
Change
in Transportation Requests
Late
Bus
In the Greater Johnstown School District, we have
a total of 28 regular runs serving six different
schools within the district. Our buses travel over
a quarter of a million miles every school year.
Our staff is committed to the safety of the
district’s children. Our certified state
examiner on staff routinely tests each driver.
If your child is
eligible for transportation, you should receive a
letter from the transportation department about a
week before the beginning of the school year.
Eligibility requirements are set by the New York
State Education Department and are as follows:
Kindergarten
- Child must live ½ mile or more from home
school.
Grades
1-8
- Child must live 1 ½ mile or more from the home
school.
Grades
9-12 -
Child must live 2 ½ miles or more from the home
school.
The Greater Johnstown School District does provide
transportation to parochial schools as long as the
school is within 15 miles from your residence and
you legally reside within the district. Please
keep in mind that written request must be
submitted to the transportation department by
April 1, prior to the school year requested.
(top
of page)
Bus Stops: Students should be ready at
least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival of
the bus.
Safety: Safety
measures pertaining to transportation include
carefully planned student instruction. Please keep
in mind that the school bus is an extension of the
classroom.
Please
review the following at home:
- Be
ready to board the bus when it arrives.
Students should always pass at least 10 feet in front of the bus
when the driver signals them to cross the
street. Go
immediately to your seat
and remain there until the bus comes to a
complete stop at your destination.
- Bus
aisles should be kept clear of all objects –
including legs, arms, and heads.
- Windows
are not to be opened unless the driver grants
permission.
- Students
should keep all parts of the body inside the
bus at all times.
- Students
are not allowed to eat or drink on the bus.
- Students
are asked to speak quietly so that the driver
will not be distracted. Refrain from speaking
to the bus driver when the bus is in motion,
except in the case of an
emergency.
- No
articles are to be thrown from or on the bus.
Throwing anything from the bus is not only a bus
violation, but also a violation against the
state littering
laws.
- No
glass (bottles, jars, etc) is allowed on the
bus.
- No
live animals, including snakes, frogs, bugs,
worms, etc, are allowed on the bus. Parents may seek
permission to personally bring animals to
school by contacting their
child’s school principal for approval.
- No
skateboards, roller blades, skis, golf clubs,
fishing poles, plants, portable radio/tape/CD players,
trading cards and the like are allowed on the
bus.
- Follow
all directions from the bus driver.
- Respect
the health, safety and morals of others in
language and actions.
Bus
transportation is a privilege extended to students
provided that conduct is acceptable. If a
violation occurs, the driver will take reasonable
action to prevent further difficulties. These
actions may include a reprimand, a seat
reassignment, parent contact and/or a written
discipline referral to the student’s principal.
More serious cases may require termination of
bus-riding privileges either temporarily or
long-term. This decision will apply particularly
to situations in which the behavior causes a clear
and immediate threat to the safety and welfare of
others. Persistent problems will result in the
withdrawal of transportation privileges for an
increasing length of time. The Superintendent will
determine the removal of transportation privileges
beyond five consecutive days.
Safety Drills: A
minimum of three emergency bus drills will be held
during the school year. These drills will include
information on the following:
1)
use
and operation of the emergency doors and windows;
2)
fire extinguisher and two-way radio;
3)
first
aid equipment.
(top
of page)
Change in Transportation
Requests: Any request for a change in
transportation due to a change in address may be
initiated in the main office. This request will be
forwarded to the transportation director and may
take a few school days to arrange. Plan
accordingly.
Students
who regularly take the bus to and from school may
request a temporary change in bus (a one-day
request to visit a friend or relative for
example). In this case a written note from the
student’s parent or guardian and a note from the
parent of the student that is being visited is
required. These notes should be turned in to the
main office prior to the start of school. The
principal will review the request and sign it if
approved. The secretary will photocopy the request
and return it to the student who will present it
to the bus driver when he/she boards the bus.
Students
who are not regular bus riders are not authorized
to use them for any reason. If a permanent change
is needed, e.g.- child going to a babysitter, a
school bus transportation form must be filed. They
are available at the school office, the
transportation office or on this Web site. The
form must be filled out in its entirety. Failure
to fill the form out properly will result in the
request being rejected. Please keep in mind
that only one location may be put in AM
pick up location and PM drop off location. This
form may be dropped off at your child’s home
school or faxed to the transportation office at
762-8393. It may take up to three days to
process. You will be notified by telephone when
the change will take place.
Download
a transportation form:
Please
note:
These forms are in PDF format, which enables you to
view the document on the computer screen and print it out.
PDF documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.
Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free from the
Adobe Acrobat Web site.
This
form may be dropped off at your child’s home
school or faxed to the transportation office at
762-8393.
Late Bus: Students
who are regular bus riders may make use of the
late bus which picks up from Knox at approximately
3:40 p.m. and Johnstown High School at 3:50 p.m.
Students remaining for extra help,
extra-curricular activities or detention should
sign up for the late bus in the main office before
2:30 p.m. Failure to do so may result in a loss of
transportation privileges for that afternoon.
Students who leave school grounds for any
unauthorized reason after school will not be
allowed to ride the late bus—even if they have
signed up to do so.
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of page)
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Transportation
