Transportation

Parents are encouraged to review the following bus safety rules and procedures with their children.

Waiting for the bus:
 

• Stay a safe distance from the roadway
• No pushing or horseplay

Crossing in front of the bus:
 

• Stop at the edge of the bus
• Look right and left
• Look at the driver for a signal to cross
• Keep watching for traffic as you walk

Bus stop arrival and schedules:

Students are asked to be at their designated bus stops at least ten (10) minutes before the scheduled arrival of the bus, as buses can sometimes run early.

Students should be standing at their designated stop before the bus arrives, and not waiting in cars, or running across the street.  Students running toward a bus creates a potentially dangerous situation.

A student who arrives at the bus stop after the bus door has closed cannot be allowed to board the bus. Michigan law requires a school bus driver to activate the bus warning lights at least 200 feet before the bus stop. This is not possible once the doors have been closed.

During the first month of school, buses tend to be delayed in both arrival and departure – this is not unusual.  Schools, parents, students, and drivers are all adjusting to the start of a new school year, please be patient.

If your student misses the bus:

If your student misses the bus, you are permitted to take them to another bus stop on the same bus route. However, your student should arrive and be waiting at the alternate bus stop before the bus arrives, and should not be running from a vehicle to meet the bus.

Be prepared for the weather and traffic conditions:

Weather or traffic conditions may affect the bus schedule in the morning or afternoon. However, please be assured that the bus will always come. Stops are never canceled due to a bus running late.

We understand that it may be raining some mornings and those winter mornings can be very cold. Please make sure your child has an umbrella and is wearing warm clothes so they can wait safely and comfortably at the bus stop.

Parent support appreciated:

Parents waiting at or near the bus stop to ensure student safety are welcome and very much appreciated.  Please put your child’s safety and the safety of others ahead of comfort and have them waiting at the stop prior to bus arrival.

Important school bus safety procedures for other drivers:
 

• School bus drivers must obey traffic laws pertaining to school buses.
• When the overhead yellow or red lights are flashing on a moving bus, other vehicles should prepare to stop.
• When the overhead red lights are flashing on a stopped bus, other vehicles must stop no closer than 20 feet from the bus.
• When only the hazard lights are flashing on a bus, other drivers may proceed with caution.

Remember your school bus is a “moving classroom”.  Use inside voices, keep your hands to yourself and be courteous. The bus driver is authorized to assign seats.

Don’t lose your riding Privilege! Follow these rules!

Always…
 

• follow the bus driver’s instructions
• follow all the posted rules
• remain seated and maintain classroom behavior on the bus at all times
• keep your possessions in a book bag
• keep all parts of yourself and objects inside the bus
• use appropriate language and volume

Never…
 

• block the aisle
• throw objects inside the bus or out of the window
• eat or drink on the bus

When exiting the bus.

Stay seated until the door opens and take all your belongings with you.  Please put any trash in the can on your way out.

If necessary to cross the street, cross in front of the bus.

Bus Eligibility

Only Wayne-Westland Community School students can ride the school bus during the scheduled school day.  Transportation will be provided for:

Elementary students that live one mile or greater from their school.

Middle & High School students that live one and a half miles or greater from their school.

Bus Letters

Informational letters will be sent out to all students receiving transportation.  The letters should arrive in the mail the week of August 21st. The student’s route information will also be available on Parent Connection under the transportation link.

Bus stop safety

Students should arrive at their designated bus stop 10 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.  Wait for the bus in a safe location and orderly fashion. Approach the bus when the door has opened.  Parents please review the “bus safety rules” and “the bus ride” information.  Drivers are not allowed to stop to pick up students anywhere other than designated bus stops.

Day care providers

Request for daycare bussing forms are available on the W-WCS website and must be filled out completely.  When using sitters or daycares for student transportation, you must use the same location Monday through Friday. We cannot transport students to different locations on different days of the week. Daycare address must be within the same school attendance boundary as your home address.  Students may not change bus stops without notification of approval from the Transportation Department.

Kindergarten Students

Kindergarten students will be picked up and dropped off at regular elementary bus stops.  

All kindergarten students are to be met at their bus stop by a parent/guardian or a person listed on the child’s kindergarten emergency form. Please instruct your child not to the leave the bus until they see you or their pick-up person at the bus stop.  If there is not a person at the stop for your child, we will return the student to their school at the end of the route to await your arrival.

Split Family Time

Students with two home addressed may ride either bus as long as the address is within their home school boundary.  Please fill out the split family time form and return it to the Transportation Department.

Please visit “Frequently Asked Questions” created by the Michigan Department of Education