I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
Are your children in your vehicle or are they standing at the stop? Its not clear as to where your children were this morning while waiting for the bus. That being said, it doesn't change the fact that it could have been a substitute bus driver that doesn't know the route very well. If there is a visibility issue then you definitely need to take that up with the school district or be standing out there with your children with a flash light to maybe flag the driver down if visibility is an issue. Perhaps installing a street light or lamp might illuminate the situation and make it clear if your children were standing at the stop. Either way you should probably contact the district to talk to them about it and address your complaints.
Were you at your designated stop on time and ready for the bus driver to pick you up? If you were and she did not stop then there may have been a substitute bus driver who did not know the route and stops on the bus route very well. We make mistakes. The best thing for you to do in that situation is go home and ask your parents to call the bus yard or school and see if they can send the bus back to get you or have them drive you to school and call in to the bus yard to find out what happened.
That depends on a case by case basis. It may be that the driver was asked to cover another area and school and is having to make adjustments accordingly. All too often where we pick up and who we pick up is determined by the school system itself.
It would depend on the situation. We are not allowed to let children off at undesignated areas unless previously being notified to. If the student simply wanted to get off the bus randomly, the answer would likely be no unless there is a safety issue at hand.
Hollywood Executive Assistant
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
CPR Trainer
It depends on the districts policy on the matter. Check with your district.
Yes. For safety reasons, we can pull the bus over if it is unsafe to continue to drive the bus while the kids are otherwise distracting the driver. Consider this, if you are driving down the road and you have 45 children sitting behind you being rowdy, throwing stuff out the window, being a hazard to other drivers on the road, shouting and screaming, and otherwise distracting you from hearing an ambulance that just ran a red light because of an emergency and struck the bus because you couldn't hear it due to the confusion.... would you rather the bus driver have pulled over and waited five minutes and your child be alive instead of in an accident? If this is becoming more of an issue, I suggest you find alternate transportation for your child.
Did you get off the bus to use the bathroom and did you let the driver know where you were going or ask the driver if you could use the bathroom? If she let you off to use the bathroom and you returned expecting to get back on then you should have been let back on. If you assumed she would let you back on without notifying her then how would she have known where you were if you were either not on the bus to begin with or there on time when she was to pull off from school grounds? Typically if a student asks me if they can use the restroom, I let them provided its not too soon to their destination/school or a reasonable time to ask them to wait (5-15 minute time frame) I also take into consideration the age of the child and where their bus stop falls on my route. If they are my last stop, I will often let them use it more often than my first stop as that child is usually on the bus for 45 minutes to 60 minutes as opposed to only 10 to 15 minutes average.
-OR-
(max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)