Know The Danger Zones
- Stay out of the danger zone at all times! No one should ever enter the DANGER ZONE unless they're absolutely sure the driver has given them permission to do so.
- If you drop anything in the danger zone, leave it. Never stop to pick it up! If possible, speak with your driver about retrieving the item.
- If you can touch the bus, you are too close!
- Using the "10 Giant Steps" rule is a good way to identify the DANGER ZONE around the school bus, particularly when crossing in front of the bus.
- Always make sure you have the attention of the school bus driver when you're near the bus (approaching or leaving).
- No one should ever play around or near school buses, or other motorized vehicles.
- When leaving the bus, walk directly home.
- Remember: if you can't see the driver, the driver can't see you!
- Never walk or play behind any vehicle!
The DANGER ZONE image on this page as well as additional safety tips can be found on the School Bus Safety Smarts page of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation website.
Tag the Bag
Introducing Tag the Bag Kindergarten ID program
Kindergarten students must be met at their bus stop every day!
This long-standing protocol, agreed upon by our four member school boards, helps to keep our youngest students safe, whether rural or urban, an only child or part of a brood, going home or attending child care. To complement this protocol, the NPSSTS presents Tag the Bag, a program that makes it easier for all student transportation drivers to recognize students who must be met by an adult.
All Kindergarten families are receiving a plastic tag (like those for luggage) with a brightly coloured card inside. Parents/guardians choose what information to write on the card (we suggest the name of the student's school, at least) and then clip it on their child's backpack. The bright colour of the card quickly alerts drivers to students who cannot disembark without an adult to meet them. It also helps school staff spot young students who need a replacement tag before they get on the bus and identifies students who may need assistance from a bus patroller, monitor, or transfer point commissionaire.
If there is no one to meet a Kindergarten student, they will be returned to school. Drivers are not to wait past the scheduled drop-off time, but contact their dispatch and advise whether they are returning to the school immediately or at the end of their regular run, depending on where the bus is at the time.
Safety Documents
- What You Should Know About School Bus Safety
- What You Should Know About Inclement Weather Days
- Procedures with respect to unloading of Kindergarten students
- Do you have an Emergency Plan?
- Use of Video Cameras
- Illegal Passing Report (Drivers Only)
- I Stop, You Stop
- Driver card (Drivers are not allowed to...)
