All of the elementary schools in the Kingman, AZ area do exactly the same thing. Teachers line their students up, excusing the students who either walk home or are being picked up, and then the teacher or their aide escort the bus students in a single file line to their respective busses. Each teacher carries a clipboard that tells them which bus a student gets on. It is their responsibility to make sure each student is accounted for. The bus drivers also have a clipboard with each of their students listed. They check them off as they get on the bus. Any absences or changes in route are provided to the bus drivers by the teachers.
If there is a change for the day, like little Johnny is riding home with little Timmy, a note must come to school before 3 p.m. (our school gets out at 3:45). If there is a permanent change, the parent/guardian must come in and fill out a new form.
Our kindergarten and preschool students are physically put on the bus in the same manner. Someone must be at their bus stop to pick them up or they are returned to school where a parent must come and get them. The pick ups (no walkers at this age) stand inside a locked fence with their teacher or aide until a parent/guardian comes TO THE FENCE to get them. Parents are not allowed to drive up and get them, they must get out of their car and walk up to the fence.
Our school is 'locked up' from 9 a.m. until 3:45 p.m., with very few exceptions. Anyone who wants their child between those hours must go through the office and sign them out.
One of our schools is trying a new policy for the pick ups. All students who are to be picked up must assemble in the gym and be signed out by a parent/guardian. It seems to work well for some schools, but not for others.
The only suggestion I could make on behalf of your PTO would be to have PTO Dads monitor the parking area and PTO Moms monitor the bus area. I think the teachers have to make sure their students get on their correct bus.
Lastly, the bus area is on one side of the school, while the pick up area is on the other.
Good Luck!
Our #1 complaint from parents is parking and safe dismissal procedures. At the current time the kindergarten are escorted to the bus and remaining kindergarten to a circle thru drive to wait for their parents. All other students 1-5 run out the doors. Some to the bus area, others out the front door waiting for parents, others out the back door for the other circle drive waiting for parents and remainder start walking. We see kids dashing thru the buses, weaving in and out of the circle drives to find their parent in the line our double parked. This has become a very heated topic. The parking lot and drive thru issue is being evaluated by the school board and supposedly summer of 2003 we will receive expanded parking and improved circle drive thru areas. That will surprise me if it happens this year. We desperately need anyones protocol on dismissal. We have received from a PTO member a program from Arizona which is great. Our principal is likewise very concerned and wants several ideas from anyone! We want to address and start informing the parents now of major changes to begin taking place slowly and completely by the time school starts in the fall. I know we will upset someone but my goodness it's for the safety of our children! Please email asap any suggestions!
