Bus drivers set out rules for kindergarten students in Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills

Now that the 2024-25 school year is in full swing, the bus service that takes your children to and from school has a few rules that parents of kindergarten students need to know.

In an online statement, Halton Student Transportation Services (HSTS), which operates student busing for both the Halton District School Board and the Halton Catholic District School Board, says parents and guardians have a responsibility to make sure their young children get off the bus safely.

“Due to potentially large numbers of students dropped off at bus stop locations, and the possible use of supply driver, HSTS and its operators cannot guarantee that the driver will know which person meets each child every day. Having multiple people meeting a JK/SK (junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten) student at the bus stop also makes it difficult for the driver to know which person meets the child; therefore, supervision of students prior to pick up and when dropped off at the bus stop remains a parental responsibility,” a statement from the transportation service reads.

HSTS has outlined procedures for parents and guardians of kindergarten students:

Parents/guardians are responsible for:

• approaching the door of the bus to meet and receive their kindergarten student when their child is dropped off after school;
• determining the designated person (who is at least 10 years of age) who will accompany their kindergarten student to/from the bus stop and ensuring the designated person is aware that they must approach the door of the bus to receive the kindergarten student;
• arriving at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the kindergarten student’s pickup/drop-off time;
• ensuring their child knows that they should tell the bus driver if they don’t see their parent or the person who meets them at the bus stop;
• ensuring their child knows that they should only get off the bus at their designated bus stop;
• having alternate arrangements already in place for times when unplanned circumstances occur such as traffic delays or running late from appointments etc., as these are delays for which parents are accountable and responsible; and
• informing the driver if the parent/guardian or designated person, who normally meets the kindergarten student at the bus stop is unable to do so and who the replacement person (at least 10 years of age) will be.

Also, if the parent/guardian or designated adult is not waiting at the bus stop to meet the kindergarten student and the bus driver is aware of this,

The bus driver shall:

• contact dispatch, who in turn will telephone the parent to attempt to arrange pick-up without further delay. If the parent cannot immediately arrange timely pick up at the bus stop, dispatch will contact the school to inform the staff that the student will remain on the bus until the completion of the run/route and will be returned to the school. Dispatch will also notify HSTS.

If school staff are not available to receive a kindergarten student who has not been met at the bus stop and the bus operator or HSTS staff are unable to reach the parent, guardian or designated adult, the next step will be to contact the police or Children’s Aid, according to HSTS.

“Parents and guardians acknowledge that failure to abide by this procedure may result in the suspension or even the cancellation of their child’s transportation privileges.  The decision to suspend or revoke transportation privileges cannot be appealed,” HSTS says.