005 – Responsibilities of Parents/Guardians

Parents/guardians must ensure that their child knows the rules and regulations well and follows them. They are responsible for their child’s safety from the time he/she leaves home up to the time when he/she boards the bus and again as soon as he/she gets off the bus to go home.

1. Inform their child about the safety and behaviour rules to be followed at the bus stop and while travelling on the bus.
2. Complete and update annually a Life-Threatening Management and Prevention Plan form (TF002) for their child(ren) if applicable and submit the form to their school principal. The school principal shall forward a legible photocopy of these forms to STWDSTS according to (006) Responsibilities of the School Principal.
3. Be aware the school bus is an extension of the classroom. The school principal’s authority still applies aboard the school bus. The school principal remains responsible for the behaviour and discipline of his/her students while they are on a school bus.
4. Understand that school transportation services are a privilege, not a right, and can be withdrawn if the rules are not followed according to (026) Progressive Discipline for Infractions on a School Bus.
5. Ensure that their child arrives at the bus stop no earlier than ten minutes and no later than five minutes before the pick-up time.
6. Be responsible for their child’s safety and behaviour up until he/she boards the bus.
7. Cooperate with the school principal, staff from STWDSTS and the bus driver to ensure that their child behaves properly while travelling on the bus.
8. Assume responsibility for their child when he/she is dropped off at the designated bus stop, upon his/her return from school. Parents/guardians must go to the bus stop to meet their child enrolled in junior kindergarten, senior kindergarten or grade 1. They may also entrust a responsible person with this task. For safety reasons, it is strongly recommended that all students enrolled in Grade 3 be accompanied to the bus stop and met at the bus stop in accordance with (015) Accompaniment of Students at Bus Stop.
9. Write their child’s name on his/her school bag, lunch box, hat, mitts and any other object belonging to him/her.
10. Be responsible for all deliberate damage or acts of vandalism caused by their child.
11. Inform the school and STWDSTS using the Request for New or Changes to Transportation form (TF001) regarding any cancellation of bus service or to request that changes be made to their child’s transportation.
12. Inform STWDSTS and the Bus Operator in advance if their child (ren) in secondary school requires to disembark at a bus stop other than their assigned bus stop.
13. Make a note of the bus driver’s and school bus operator’s names as well as the bus route number and its arrival time.
14. Inform the school and STWDSTS about any problem that occurred on the bus and that jeopardized the students’ well-being and safety indicating the bus number, date, time and nature of the problem.
15. Be aware of (024) Inclement Weather Bus Cancellations.
16. Listen to the radio or other media identified by STWDSTS on mornings of inclement weather to find out the status of school bus transportation.
17. Make the final decision about whether or not their child should go to school on mornings of inclement weather.
18. Be aware that when a bus does not travel a route in the morning due to inclement weather conditions, it will not operate in the afternoon.
19. Be aware that if weather conditions deteriorate during the day to the point where it is unsafe to allow the buses to depart, the students will be kept at the school and parents will be notified.
20. Not stop or park in school bus loading zone areas
21. Make sure that their child (ren) is dressed appropriately in the event of inclement weather.

Prohibitions

It is strictly prohibited for parents/guardians to board the school bus.

It is prohibited for parents/guardians to speak to the bus driver or anyone working on behalf of STWDSTS in an angry or aggressive manner, or to use abusive and disrespectful language.

It is strictly prohibited for parents/guardians to negotiate or attempt to negotiate with the bus driver and the school principal, in order to change the bus stop, pick-up or drop-off time, or other travel arrangement for their child which would differ from the transportation service planned by STWDSTS.