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The Anacortes School District provides transportation to and from school for PreK-12th grade students who live more than one mile walking distance from their home school. We utilize over 25 buses to transport student to and from school and extra-curricular/sporting events. Our goal is to provide both a safe and enjoyable school bus ride for all students.

Our buses are equipped with GPS units and onboard cameras. These systems aid in locating buses in emergency situations, help with routing efficiency and assist our drivers and schools in supporting positive student behavior on the bus.

We encourage students to arrive at their bus stop 5 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time and ride the bus to AND from their regular bus stop.

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Bus Rules & Student Conduct

The goal of Transportation Services is to provide safe and timely bus service for the District’s students. To do this, drivers must be able to concentrate on operating vehicles in a variety of traffic conditions, always being alert and vigilant. Excessive noise or misconduct by bus passengers can distract a driver and endanger all students on the bus. Therefore, the support and cooperation of parents and students is needed to ensure acceptable behavior by all bus riders.

Students are expected to cooperate with their bus driver to promote bus safety. Each driver is given some latitude working with students to modify inappropriate behaviors. A bus citation may be written at anytime during this process. A driver may confer with a student, change bus seating, assign a specific seat, reinforce student’s successes and establish consequence for inappropriate bus rider behavior. If violations of Bus Riding Rules continue, a written citation may be issued. For severe or hazardous conduct, a citation or bus suspension may follow.

Bus misconduct may be referred to the school principal for follow up which may include suspension and/or emergency removal and/or emergency expulsion from the bus. Any questions about these rules or actions on a specific bus may be directed to us at (360) 503-1151.

School Bus Stop Rules

School Bus Stop Rules are explained in this video from the WA state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Division.

 

 

Every child who rides a school bus should know what to do should it ever become necessary to evacuate the bus quickly and safely. Usually students remain on the bus during an emergency; however, two situations do require the bus to be evacuated:

FIRE OR DANGER OF FIRE:

A bus should be stopped and evacuated immediately if the engine or any portion of the bus is on fire. Passengers should move a distance of 100 feet or more from the bus and remain there until the driver of the bus has determined that no danger remains. Being near an existing fire and unable to move the bus away, or near the presence of gasoline or other combustible materials should be considered as “danger of fire,” and students should be evacuated.

UNSAFE POSITION:

In the event a bus is stopped due to accident, mechanical failure, or road conditions, it must be determined, immediately, whether it is safe for passengers to remain in the bus or to evacuate.

In compliance with WAC392-145-080, an emergency evacuation drill will be completed within the first six weeks of each school semester for all students riding school buses except those excused by the regulation. Students excused from the drill will be orally instructed three times per year. Drills will be held at school bus loading zones only. Students riding field trip buses will receive verbal reviews of emergency procedures at the beginning of each field trip.

The Emergency Evacuation Drill will proceed as follows. The driver will:

  • Provide a short explanation of why it is necessary to conduct exit drills.
  • Shut off the motor, set the emergency break, and place the bus in Park or Neutral depending on the bus type.
  • Instruct reliable students about use of the 2-way radio.
  • Put the microphone outside the window and turn key to accessory, if needed/possible.
  • Instruct students on getting emergency help.
  • Instruct students on setting highway warning reflector devices.
  • Instruct students on removing the first-aid kit.
  • Instruct students on use of the fire extinguisher.
  • Instruct and assign students to open Exit door (s).
  • Explain which windows are “kick out” windows.
  • Assist students in leaving via the exit door(s).

Students should also be taught to remember that most accidents are preventable, regardless of who may be at fault, and that proper behavior and good conduct on the bus is the best way to assist the driver in the safe performance of his/her duties.

For student safety, Bus Passes are no longer accepted. Students may only ride buses specifically assigned to them. This means that students will not be permitted to ride a bus that they are not assigned to. Exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis. Please call Transportation if you have any questions.

The standard Anacortes School District Transportation procedure is that Preschool/Kindergarten students being transported by bus have a responsible person to receive them at their bus stop. If the parents/guardian believe the child is capable of attending to his/her own needs and may be dropped off without a responsible person in attendance, the District then requires that information to be in writing from the parents/guardian via an opt out form provided by the School office.

Only students and staff of the Anacortes School District are allowed to ride the school bus. However, parents of Anacortes District students may occasionally be given permission to ride the bus to/from school if they are assisting in a classroom. Permission must be pre-approved through Transportation or the school office. The school will then issue a bus pass to the parent. To ride a school bus for any other reason, approval must come from Transportation Management.

Due to safety reasons and time challenges, boarding a school bus to talk to the bus driver or a student is prohibited. It is best to contact the bus driver through the Transportation Department. This will ensure that the driver has adequate time to discuss your needs and concerns. Clarification of the rules and procedures should be directed to the Transportation Supervisor.

The district and bus driver’s goal is to increase safety while transporting students to and from school. Cameras on the bus are a tool to help improve student conduct.

Anacortes school buses are inspected by the Washington State Patrol twice per year. All district buses meet or exceed Federal and State specifications.

To ensure a safe bus ride for your students, each bus driver is an authorized Washington State School Bus Driver who has completed an extensive training program consisting of classroom and on the road training. Each driver has completed a drug screen and has under gone an extensive background check, including State and Federal fingerprinting clearance.



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