Speaker 1: 0:05

Hello, my name is Amy Manns. I am the Transportation Director for Jefferson R-7. I'm actually going on my third year. I've actually been a school bus driver for 20 years here at Jefferson R-7, and I always loved my job as a school bus driver and I'm thoroughly enjoying the opportunities and the challenges that Transportation Department brings as the administrator. Now I'm going to apologize for reading from this, but I wanted to make sure I hit all my goals here.

Speaker 1: 0:35

Our goal in the Transportation Department is to provide our students with safe transportation. We continually grow in our knowledge through training on safe driving practices and student management. Whether your student is a daily rider, attending an athletic event, field trip or special event, we want to provide a safe ride. Please visit our school website. Click on the menu and then the transportation tab. There you will find all of the routes and times, but also our bus safety rules pamphlet, and this is what you'll see, and there's a little slider at the bottom. Please utilize this.

Speaker 1: 1:10

Go over this with your students. This goes over the danger zones associated with the school bus how far to stand back at your bus stop and when to approach. It also goes over bus rules Never running after a school bus Once you step off and walk onto the bus, you need to go straight to your seat, Stay seated until you arrive at your destination and once the drivers open the doors that's when you stand up and step off the bus in an early fashion Be at your bus stop five minutes before your designated time and wait patiently. Remember the school bus stop is an extension of the school itself. In the event that your child is a crossover, make sure that they are aware they must make eye contact with their school bus driver and the drivers. On the first day of school, do go over these rules with the students, and especially the crossovers, going over the rules on the school bus. All the buses have this. They have about four of them on each bus on both sides, one in the back, one in the front.

Speaker 1: 2:12

Just going over those remaining seated, which I just spoke to you about not standing, you should never stand up and walk down a bus whenever a bus is moving. Sometimes we may have a coach or a teacher do that during a field trip or an athletic trip, but they're normally helping a student or addressing a situation so that the driver can focus on driving. Because that's the biggest thing here is we don't want our drivers to be distracted being kind to each other. All children run into issues on the school bus. They're not happy with their friend Somebody may have said something about them at school today and that person rides their bus. They should always address the driver if they have concerns, but they need to address the driver with kindness, just as they would want to be addressed themselves. Same thing with students around them. Try to remember to have kindness in your heart.

Speaker 1: 3:04

The no soda this is always an issue, but the reason why we don't want soda on a bus is because it's a sugary, sticky substance. When it spills on a school bus. One, it's really hard to mop up, but two, whenever those buses go back and sit idle for the night, it attracts bugs and sometimes animals. Same thing with food. Food is a choking issue on the school bus, so we don't like to have the students eat on the bus. Also, at the end of the day, when the bus again is sitting idle at the bus shed, it can attract bugs and also animals, and they know how to open them doors on the school bus and get on there. So it's not a pleasant surprise. So it's not a pleasant surprise.

Speaker 1: 3:45

The cell phones and the personal communication devices. Our approach will be a continued commitment to prioritizing a safe environment for transporting students. If cell phones or personal communication devices are displayed or used on the bus in a disruptive manner, students will be referred to their building principals. We want to provide a safe environment for your child. Please help us to do that. Again, I encourage you to go, look at the bus routes, the bus times and, of course, our bus safety pamphlet. When we all work together, we give them the tools to succeed and have a bright and happy future. Thank you, look forward to servicing you all for our school system.