A warm welcome to our Laraway and Oak Valley parents/guardians and students from the Transportation Department.  I can’t believe we have been in school twenty days and the start of fall is here, too.  We finally have assigned seats on all the buses, the drivers are getting familiar with all their students and things are going well.  Most of the routes are set times now and hopefully will not be changing too much in the future.  I would like to remind you of a few things:

PLEASE have your child(ren) at the bus stop 5 to 10 minutes BEFORE THE ASSIGNED TIME

Remind your children that there are bus rules which they must adhere to for their safety

 If you need to change a bus stop, you must send a signed letter in with your child to give to their teacher.   It must also have a WORKING PHONE NUMBER where you can be reached in case I have questions, emergencies, or changes in bus schedules.

Kindergarten and Early Childhood children will be picked up and dropped off door-to-door and you or your “assigned designee” must be there to receive your child.  Be at the stop (10 minutes) early so the driver does not have to call you by phone or bring your child back to school.  This is being documented, and if this happens frequently, you may be asked to bring your child to school and pick them up.  We have many stops to make and we don’t want another child being delayed in getting home.

If your child has to cross the street in front of the bus, remind them to watch the driver to signal them across and not to run out into the street.  Many drivers do not pay attention to BIG YELLOW BUSES and we want to avoid an accident at all costs.

Children must stay away from the street while waiting for the bus-stay on the sidewalk.  When getting off the bus, remind them to stay far away from the “danger zone”, the ten foot area around the outside of the bus.  A driver may not see them if they are walking near the bus. 

If you drop your student off or pick your student up at Laraway School, you may not drive into the nearest driveway by the school.  That is only for buses, emergency vehicles and delivery trucks.  At Oak Valley, you may park in the front of the school, but be very careful as vehicles drive very fast on Richards Street.   Be sure to look both ways and hold your child(ren)s hands when crossing.

Any time you have questions or concerns, I will be happy to speak with you.  My office number is 815-727-1206 and I will return your call as soon as possible.  I value your children as if they were my own and their SAFETY is of the utmost importance.

Sherry Knight.

Transportation Coordinator