030 – Procedure in the Event of a Lost Child

In the event that a child transported by STWDSTS is deemed lost by the parent/guardian, school, bus driver/operator, or STWDSTS, everything must be done to find the student rapidly and calmly. A series of steps must be followed in order to locate the child as quickly as possible.

The School and STWDSTS must:

Ensure that all operators have up-to-date student contact information.

The School Bus Operator must:

Ensure all drivers have an up-to-date route manifest.

The School Principal must:

1. Ask the school staff to check the school premises, including the washrooms and schoolyard.
2. Contact the person in charge when the students boarded the bus, to check whether the missing child did indeed get on the bus.
3. Ask the student’s teacher, or the person in charge when the students boarded the bus, to provide an accurate description of the child’s clothing that day and forward this information to the school bus operator and STWDSTS.
4. Ensure that the school bus operator and STWDSTS have the correct emergency phone numbers to locate the parents and guardians.
5. Stay at school and remain in constant contact with the school bus operator and STWDSTS until the child is found.
6. If the child is found, immediately make direct contact with STWDSTS and the school bus operator in order to notify them that the child has been found so that the search can be stopped.

The School Bus Operator must:

1. Contact the driver of the route the child is assigned to.
2. Contact the drivers of the other buses serving the same school, to check whether the child might have boarded the wrong bus.
3. Contact the school immediately to inform that a child is deemed missing.
4. Contact STWDSTS to inform that a child is deemed missing.
5. Ask all bus drivers to keep the radio lines open and to use them only in case of an emergency.
6. Maintain contact with the school principal, STWDSTS and the police during the search.
7. Immediately notify the school principal, STWDSTS and the police if the child is found, so that the search can be stopped.
8. Submit a Bus Incident Reporting Form (TF-100) to STWDSTS within 24 hours of the incident.

1. As soon as a child is missing, immediately notify the dispatcher by radio. Give the exact location of the bus.
2. Move the vehicle to a safe place and wait for the dispatcher’s instructions.
3. Inspect the bus to determine whether the child is on the bus.
4. If the child is found at school, the bus driver shall inform the parent/guardian waiting at the bus stop and ask him/her to contact the school principal in order to retrieve the child.

1. Maintain contact with the school bus operator, the school and, if applicable, with the police and parent/guardian, until the child has been found.
2. Contact the family to find out whether the child is at home or whether someone else came to pick up the child from school without informing the appropriate authorities.

If the child still cannot be found after the first search (phone calls made to the school and the parent or guardian of the missing child), notify the police immediately (911) and follow their instructions.