What are the hours of the Transportation office? Hours of operation are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, when school is in session. In the event a bus is out past that time, someone will remain in the office until the bus has returned to the lot or the driver communicates to us that all students have been dropped off and the bus is empty.
Where is the Transportation office located? The Transportation office is located at 872 Lexington Avenue.
Who will be driving my child to school? Eaton Community Schools hires quality people to become school bus drivers. Candidates must have an excellent driving record and pass a pre-employment physical and drug screen. All candidates must have an FBI and BCI background check. Once they have met those requirements they receive a minimum of 12 hours of on board instruction from certified instructors in addition to 15 hours of classroom instruction from the Ohio Department of Education.
All drivers receive yearly in-service trainings, must pass a yearly physical and every six years go through a recertification process and have BCI background check.
If my child misses the bus, why can’t he go or be taken to another bus stop? The State of Ohio has taken steps and designed procedures to ensure student safety. All students are assigned to a specific bus stop. At their bus stop, they are given a Designated Place of Safety by their driver, where they are to stand to wait for the bus to arrive. This is so the driver can account for students at the stop. Students who run after the bus or get dropped off at another stop are creating a dangerous situation. The driver does not know to look for them and in dark conditions, they cannot be seen by the driver.
Why can’t my child get off the bus and start walking home? Why does he have to wait for the bus to pull away? Once again, the State of Ohio has created procedures for student safety. When students unload at a stop they are to return to the Designated Place of Safety and remain there where the driver can account for them and know they are not in the Danger Zone, before the bus leaves the stop.
If students need to cross the street to get to their Designated Place of Safety they must watch the driver for a signal to cross the street, stop at the edge of the bus to check traffic for themselves, and then proceed to their place of safety and wait there until the bus pulls away.
What if the bus runs late? Buses may run late for various reason; traffic conditions, mechanical breakdowns, etc. A bus will always be sent to cover a route, regardless of how late. We will not abandon students at their stops. We also try to communicate a late bus via ParentSquare so parents/guardians can plan accordingly.
Why can’t my child wait inside the house or my car until the bus arrives? To ensure the safety of all bus riders, Ohio law requires students to be at their bus stop, in their Designated Place of Safety, 5 minutes prior to the arrival of the bus. This allows the driver to account for students as they approach the stop. Students who run from their house or a parent’s car cannot be seen by the driver. This can have a serious impact on a student’s safety. Students should dress appropriately for weather conditions.
Are students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade required to have an adult at the bus stop? What happens if an adult is not at the stop? Yes, as stated in the Hollingsworth East and William Bruce Elementary Student Handbooks an adult must be visible to the bus driver before a Kindergarten through Third grade student will be released from the bus. If the bus driver believes that no one is at home or if an older sibling is not with the child, the driver will transport the student back to the Transportation Office on Lexington Avenue. Parents will then be responsible for picking up their children by 5:00 p.m.
Can my student have a different pick up and drop off location different days of the week? We understand there are many situations where it would help if a student could have different stops for different days of the week. However, our experience is that it gets too complicated keeping track of the children that their safety could be compromised. For that reason, we ask that the pick up and drop off arrangements be the same Monday through Friday. You may request one stop location for morning pick up and another stop location for the afternoon drop off.
Bus stops at multiple addresses will not be permitted unless court ordered for shared parenting.