Transportation Department
4 Haynes Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
TRANSPORTING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND OTHER LARGE ITEMS
In the interest of safety, and based on the fact we are currently close to capacity on all buses, students are allowed to transport instruments if they are able to transport them either on the floor in front of them or on their lap.
While this may have happened in the past, we cannot deny students seats because there is an instrument in the seat instead.
Student Busing Industry standards indicate students should not be allowed to transport items on a school bus that cannot be stored either on their lap, or on the floor between their feet.
School Bus Safety Tips
The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) offers the following advice for families that rely on the yellow school bus each day:
Getting Ready for School
- Have children put everything they carry in a backpack or school bag so they won’t drop anything along the way.
- Encourage them to wear bright, contrasting colors so they are more easily seen by drivers.
- Make sure children leave home on time so they can arrive at the bus stop before it is due, ideally at least five minutes early. Running after or in front of a bus is dangerous.
Walking to the Bus Stop
- Walk young children to the bus stop or encourage children to walk in groups, which are easier for drivers to see.
- Walk on the sidewalk. If there’s no sidewalk, stay out of the street. If you must walk on the street, walk single file, face traffic, and stay as close to the edge of the road as you can.
- Stop and look left, right, and then left again if you must cross the street. Do the same thing at driveways and alleys. Exaggerate your head turns and narrate your actions so your child knows you are looking left, right, and left.
At the Bus Stop
- Have children wait in a location where the driver can see them on approach. Avoid waiting in a house or car, far up a driveway or behind trees, fences, etc.