Adverse Conditions and Emergency Procedures

The Dispatcher will notify the DOT when atmospheric conditions cause further transportation services to be unsafe. The DOT or designee will contact the Assistant Superintendent of Business Service whenever transportation is postponed or canceled. Transportation Services will consult with District staff for a directive to suspend or delay transportation.

The school bus driver is responsible for the safety of the pupils on his/her bus. In the event of an emergency, the school bus driver must exercise responsible leadership. The safety and well-being of pupils must be the driver’s paramount consideration. The bus driver will stay with his/her pupils at all times. The bus driver may not leave the school bus when children are aboard except in an emergency and, then, only after he/she has stopped the motor, removed the ignition key, set the brake and put the transmission in gear, “park or neutral” for an automatic transmission. A school bus must be evacuated when:

1. There is a fire in the engine or any other portion of the bus; smoke in the compartment
2. There is a danger of fire because the bus is near an existing fire or a quantity of hazardous chemical or other highly combustible material and is unable to move away; or
3. The bus is disabled for any reason and: (1) Its stopping point is in the path of a train or is adjacent to a railroad track, (2) A potential exists for the position of the bus to shift thus endangering pupils, or (3) the stopping point (e.g., on a hill, curve, or near an obstruction) fails to provide oncoming traffic with at least 500 feet visibility of the bus, thus creating the danger of a collision.

• When a school bus is evacuated, pupils shall leave the bus by the exit(s) and in the manner that affords maximum safety in the circumstances.
• Pupils who have been evacuated from a school bus shall be moved to a safe place at least 100 feet from the bus and remain there until the driver or, if the driver is incapacitated, another person in authority has determined that no danger remains or until other provisions can be made. The Transportation Contractor will make arrangements for the safety of the pupils involved, by substitute transportation or otherwise.

When a school bus is disabled due to a mechanical failure and students are aboard that require transportation, the relief vehicle should drive to the front of and pull in line with and as close to the disabled vehicle as possible. Vehicle Code Section 22112(d) states that a school bus disabled due to mechanical breakdown and/or the relief bus shall not activate the flashing red light system while loading and unloading passengers. The drivers of both vehicles should activate the hazard lights prior to the unloading and loading of passengers.