Back to School: Be aware of School Bus Safety on the Highway and in front of the School
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Well it's that time of year again and school is back in session. School might be a whole new ball game for the parents, students, teachers and staff, but ensuring their safe trip to and from school falls on all of us while we are in our vehicles doing our own things. This means that the streets surrounding the schools will be busy with kids hustling to and from school as well as the buses and parents or family members dropping their children or siblings off. It also means that while on the highway or county road be aware of the school bus picking up students or dropping them off. If the bus has extended the stop sign, STOP.
New policies have been put in place for students riding the school bus and are as follows. Students in Chinook and Harlem will be dropped off at 7:45 a.m. Chinook will be running three bus routes while Harlem runs six. Grab and Go breakfast will be available for students at both schools and can be taken to their classrooms. Turner will run four bus routes; students will be dropped off at 7:30 a.m. and can come in and sit down for breakfast. Hays/Lodge Pole Schools will be running 6 routes. Students will be dropped off at 10:00 a.m. and picked up at 2:00 p.m.
All students riding the bus will follow the same safety protocols in which family members can sit together but otherwise will be required to practice social distancing. When social distancing isn't possible, masks will be required. Sanitizing stations will be utilized when boarding the bus and all buses will be sanitized and cleaned after each day.
With all the commotion going on it's time to remind everyone to be extra vigilante around the schools, especially the grade schools with the much younger students. Drivers must also be alert out on the road and follow all protocols when crossing paths with a school bus.
According to Chinook School Policy "Student crossing guards are assigned to designated points before and after school to assist students crossing the street safely." There have been a number of instances in the past where school staff has witnessed a vehicle driving around a student crossing guard, while holding a STOP sign up in the middle of the street. Staff in Chinook and Harlem have witnessed vehicles passing through their school zones, texting while driving as they see young students racing to the school while they dart through traffic.
School policy also states, "When dropping your child off in the morning, pull up to the curb in front of the building so your child does not have to cross the street." The policy also stresses DO NOT stop in the middle of the street, yet this is also a site witnessed by staff many times throughout the school year.
Another issue is when school is let out; Students are required to leave school grounds immediately unless they are part of a school sponsored activity. Parents are asked to encourage their children to utilize the crosswalk and leave promptly versus hanging around on the playground.
To help ensure the safety of the students and to enforce the policy regarding drop off and pick up, the City of Chinook Police Department has made a commitment to be on hand in the morning for the hour prior to the start of school to ensure all applicable rules are followed and enforced. They will also be in the area in the afternoon to help monitor a safe pickup as well.
School safety isn't just relegated to the elementary schools but the prime cause for an accident is much different at the middle and high schools. The buses still deliver students to and from school but there is generally much less of a problem simply due to their age. The biggest issue is that students, in many cases are also drivers and with all that is going on in their daily lives we need make sure that everyone is aware of potentially distracted drivers or for that matter, students walking or running around school property.
It's also essential that motorists follow all laws governing the procedures for meeting a school bus on the highways or county roads. First all buses stop at every railroad crossing, every time, don't go around them if the crossing guards are still up. When following a bus, you cannot pass, on either side, when the lights are flashing, even if the drivers has not stopped. When the bus opens its door to let students on or off a STOP sign near the driver side review mirror is simultaneously displayed to notify traffic they are required to stop. This applies to all traffic on both sides of the road.
Blaine County Sheriff John Colby stated that there were a number of incidents reported last year of drivers failing to follow this policy, "It's about the safety of the kids. If you're behind a school bus and that arm (Stop Sign) comes out, to Stop, regardless of what side they are on." Blaine County has a significant amount of county roads and on those roads are plenty of students to be picked up. The same rules apply on these rural roads as do the highway.
