Student Transportation Services

As part of our safety program, School District U-46 Transportation offers a unique opportunity for incoming kindergarten students and parents to participate in a School Bus Safety Awareness program each August.

The program consists of a short safety talk presented by Transportation Department personnel and a ride to and from school in a full size U-46 school bus. We sincerely encourage students and parents to take advantage of this opportunity to lessen those first-day fears commonly experienced by new students and parents. A parent/guardian and older siblings may accompany the kindergarten student on the bus, although we cannot accommodate younger siblings.

Information about this program may be obtained by reaching out to Transportation at 847-888-5095.

Kindergarten Bus Tags

This program was developed and implemented by the Transportation Department to provide additional security for kindergarten students that ride the school bus home.

• One kindergarten bus tag set for each registered kindergarten student will be supplied by the school. The bus tag set will include one yellow break-away lanyard, one bus tag holder and two bus tag cards. Parents/Guardians must completely fill out both cards. One should be inserted into the tag holder, the other is a spare to be kept on file at school.
• Every transported kindergarten student must wear a completed bus tag to ride the bus home every day. The yellow lanyard is designed to be worn by the student and has a breakaway safety feature. Bus drivers will be looking for the yellow lanyards on children, not on or in backpacks. 
• Transportation will bring kindergarten students to school without bus tags, but will not take kindergarten students home without them.
• All kindergarten students must be met at the bus stop each day by approved chaperones. The back of the tag includes room to list parent approved chaperones, including parents.
• Drivers cannot be responsible for ensuring that a kindergarten student not wearing a tag is met by a parent approved chaperone at the bus stop.
• Drivers will not allow a student wearing a kindergarten bus tag off the bus unless an approved chaperone is present.
• For those occasions when a kindergartner forgets his tag at home, the spare tag that is kept in the office may be copied and presented to the driver along with the student so that the student may still ride the bus home. 
• If a student misplaces or loses his bus tag set, a replacement set must be requested from the school.

You can help improve the safety of our students just by obeying traffic laws and following a few simple guidelines:

School Bus Stops

Your driving privileges will be suspended for three months if you are convicted of illegally passing a stopped school bus. If you receive two such convictions within five years, your driving privileges will be suspended for one year. In addition to the suspensions, violators will be fined $150 for a first conviction and $500 for a second or subsequent conviction.

• You must stop before meeting or overtaking a school bus loading or unloading passengers. A warning will be given at least 100 ft. (200 ft. in rural areas) in advance of a stop. The bus driver will flash amber and red lights on the front and rear of the bus. The stop signal arm will be extended after the school bus has come to a complete stop. You must then come to a complete stop.
• You must remain stopped until the stop signal arm is no longer extended and the flashing lights are turned off or the driver signals you to pass.
• You do not always need to stop when meeting a stopped school bus on a roadway with four or more lanes. You do not need to stop if you are traveling in the opposite direction of the bus, but you should drive cautiously.

1. Observe classroom behavior expectations.
2. Be courteous; no profanity.
3. Do not eat or drink on the bus.
4. Keep the bus clean.
5. Cooperate with the driver.
6. Do not smoke.
7. Do not damage bus or equipment.
8. Stay in your seat.
9. Keep head, hands, and feet inside bus.
10. Do not fight, push or shove.
11. Do not tamper with bus equipment.
12. Do not bring pets on the bus.
13. Do not bring flammable material on the bus.
14. The bus driver is authorized to assign seats.
15. Have a safe trip.
     

Big Bus Expectations and Responsibilities

When a bus arrives at a bus stop, the safest place for the student to be is at the bus stop waiting. It is for this reason that all students must be at their bus stop five minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time. Students must be standing at the bus stop, not waiting in vehicles, houses or garages. If running on time, big buses are not required to wait for students who are not standing at the stop when the bus arrives. Please ensure your student at his/her bus stop five minutes before the scheduled pick-up time.

While at a bus stop, it is important for students to respect the rights of property owners. Students must not trample landscaping, climb on railings or stairways, play on cars, yards or in driveways or leave trash behind.

Special Education and Preschool Expectations and Responsibilities

Curb to curb transportation service is provided for many of our special education and preschool students. Please ensure your child is ready and watching for the bus to arrive five minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time. When the bus arrives, your child should be ready to exit your home and board the bus. If your child is not ready, the bus will wait one minute. If your child is not in the process of exiting the home and boarding the bus after the one-minute grace period has expired, the bus will continue on the scheduled route ensuring that the other students on the bus route are not waiting unnecessarily.

Transportation service is provided to the closest serviceable stop for many of our special education and preschool students. Please ensure your child is ready and waiting at the designated stop five minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time. When the bus arrives, your child should be prepared to board promptly. If your child is not ready, the bus will wait one minute. After the one-minute grace period, if your child is not in the process of boarding, the bus will continue on the scheduled route to ensure that other students are not delayed unnecessarily.