School Transportation

• Sit in your ASSIGNED seat with your legs in front of you.
• Use a normal speaking voice.
• Be kind and respectful to others.
• Follow 100% of bus driver directions the FIRST time EVERY time.
• Have appropriate conversations.
• Keep hands, feet, and ALL other objects to yourself.
• Sit on the front seat without talking when on BENCH.
• Remain SILENT at bus stops and railroad crossings.
• NO eating or drinking.

• Be at your bus stop at least 5 minutes before the scheduled arrival time for the bus.
• Do not rush the bus upon its arrival at the stop.
• Do not cut the bus off to stop the bus from leaving when dropping off or picking up your child.
• Please respect the bus drivers schedule by having your child ready to board the bus in a timely manner.
• Parents are NOT allowed to enter the bus at any time.
• Parents MUST wait until all students are in the appropriate vehicle before starting to leave the stop area.
• ES ONLY: Parents must present their placard at the bus stop to receive their child.

• Bus drivers are not permitted to drop off students at places that are not on their scheduled bus route.
• Students are NOT allowed to get off the bus if his/her ride is not at the bus stop.
• If you are not at your child’s bus stop at the scheduled time, it will be your responsibility to go to the next stop or back to the school.
• Henderson Collegiate Parents: Students brought back to school at the end of the bus route:
  • 1st time: We will speak to you about solutions to help you prevent this from recurring.
  • 2nd time: The student’s bus privileges will be revoked for 3 days, starting the next school day.
  • 3rd time: The student’s bus privileges will be revoked for 5 days, starting the next school day.
  • 4th time: The student will lose all bus privileges for the remainder of the school year. The school will also complete a Child Protective Services call.

Our bus rules at Henderson Collegiate cover the appropriate behaviors that we expect on the bus. That said, there are some behaviors that we have seen students do that simply should never happen. In the interest of transparency, we’re sharing the list of “Don’ts” below.

• Don’t use inappropriate language. If you aren’t sure if language is inappropriate, ask a teacher or the bus driver privately. Find better words to use than curse words.
• Don’t be disruptive at your bus stop. Stand where you’re supposed to and wait for your bus.
• Don’t throw anything on or off of the bus. Keep objects to yourself.
• Don’t litter on the bus. What you bring on the bus, you bring off of the bus.
• Don’t touch anyone. Keep all parts of your body to yourself.
• Don’t make any inappropriate gestures or comments to anyone or anything on or outside of the bus. Talk with those around you.
• Don’t spit. Keep spit in your mouth.
• Don’t yell. Use a normal voice.
• Don’t engage in silly horseplay or mischief.
• Never leave the bus without permission. Stay on your bus.
• Never refuse to tell your bus driver your name. If your bus driver asks, you answer.
• Don’t hang out of windows. Stay in your seat.
• Don’t bully, threaten, or harass anyone on the bus. Don’t be a bully.
• Don’t hit anyone. Keep your hands to yourself.
• Don’t bring anything on the bus that you couldn’t have at school.
• Don’t vandalize the bus. Treat the bus with respect.
• Don’t push, shove, or run on the bus. Walk and keep your hands to yourself.
• Don’t open a door or exit on a bus. The bus driver is in charge of the doors of the bus.
• Don’t eat or drink on the bus. Eat and drink snacks before and after the bus ride, not during.
• Don’t stand up. Sit down.
• Don’t switch seats. Sit in your assigned seat.
• Don’t talk back or argue with your bus driver. Just follow directions.
• Don’t put perfume or cologne on the bus. Do it at home, if you must use it at all.

Every word we say to students matters. At Henderson Collegiate, when we approach conversations, we think in terms of purpose first and foremost. And when it comes to bus discipline, our purpose can and should stay consistent. Our purpose in conversations is….

• To maintain strong relationships with our students.
• To put responsibility squarely on our student’s shoulders. [Excellence]
• To have students communicate their actions and the consequences thereof. [Voice]
• To help students see the why in our disciplinary process. [Curiosity]
• To help students understand the consistency in our disciplinary process. [Excellence]
• For students to believe that they can and must improve. [Optimism]

There are two types of conversations that happen with every bus write-up. The first is the conversation on the bus with the driver. The second is the follow-up conversation at school, with the Transportation Director and Dean of Students. There is a third type of conversation that happens only after the second write-up. That is the parent and student conversation. While the overarching purposes of the conversations are explained above, each of these conversations has one additional broad overarching goal.

• Bus Conversation Goal: To collect all of the facts about the incident.
• School Conversation Goal: To communicate to students and family the consequences for the incident.
• Parent Conversation Goal: To make it unambiguously clear how close the student is to being suspended from the bus and what needs to happen from the student/parent's end to avoid such issues in the future.

Nothing is more urgent than staying safe. Whether it’s waiting to pick up a pencil until you stop or ignoring someone who’s bothering you until the bus gets to school, our students consistently say that the most important thing is to stay in your seat regardless of what’s happening! Safety first.

Problems can be solved, although not immediately. There are real problems on the bus, like sometimes students tease each other, sometimes students say hurtful things, and sometimes students lose their belongings. Our students are consistently advised that students should seek to solve problems, but most often, they suggested that those problems be solved at the end of the bus ride, not during it.

Politeness counts! The way we talk has an impact on those around us. When we use rude, harsh language, we tell other people that we are a rude, harsh person. Our students are consistently advised that students should speak to others and their bus drivers with formal, polite language, especially when addressing problems.

Keep small problems small. A small insult can turn into a big fight. An eye rolled can turn into a yelling match. Most problems on the bus start small but can turn big based on student reactions. Our students are consistently advised students to keep problems small by responding in calm, reasonable ways and deal with issues at the right time and place.

Be the change. Our students are consistently asked to stay focused on themselves and their actions. They know that if the bus is going to be a great place, it has to start with them, independent of what anyone else is choosing to do on the bus. You have to be the change you want to see in the world.