Dear Parents,
As you are aware, the school district has undertaken significant steps to improve the efficiency of its transportation services. As a direct result, the buses this year will be very different. Please note several important changes below.
Rosters will be maintained for each bus. This means that your child is assigned to a specific bus and bus stop. Our schools and Ocean State will check each bus roster each morning and afternoon as your child boards their bus to ensure that your child is riding the correct bus. Therefore, your child CANNOT ride any bus other than the one assigned to them. Your child’s assigned bus stop is the one closest to your home (or a daycare that you have communicated to the District - see below). If you have a question about your child’s bus and stop assignments, please contact your child’s school office.
It is critical that the bus company has correct information. That information is provided by the District. If you move within the District, please notify your school AND Wendy Smith at District Administration at
[email protected]. If you move, but fail to notify District Administration, your child will not be on the roster for your new bus.
If you submitted a daycare request via the transportation request form, then your child will be assigned to a different bus based on your request for morning or afternoon daycare. Keep in mind that only certain daycares are bused from certain schools. Many parents choose Aim High as a daycare, however Ocean State does not bus from Eldredge and Frenchtown to that location. If your elementary or middle school child is a walker, but has daycare in the afternoon, your child IS eligible to take the bus to the assigned daycare (presuming it is within the geographic area of the assigned school).
Unlike previous years, if you have elected to send your elementary student “across the district” to a different school, your child is not entitled to bus service, unless a request is approved by the Superintendent in consultation with the Transportation Subcommittee. If your child is forced to enroll in a cross-district elementary school due to capacity issues, your child will be assigned to a bus.
Your child must be outside and waiting at their stop when the bus arrives. The bus will not wait for a student to get out of cars or run out of houses to their bus. During the first three weeks of school, please allow a ten-minute window before and after your assigned stop time. Thereafter, please allow a five-minute window before and after your scheduled stop time.
It is the parent’s job to supervise children at the bus stop to ensure safety. he stops this year have been consolidated. Each route will have fewer stops, but T many stops will have larger amounts of children. The East Greenwich Police Department has reviewed all current bus stops for safety. It is therefore expected that parents and guardians will keep children a safe distance from major roads. The bus WILL wait for children to walk this short distance to board.
All questions, issues, and/or complaints regarding your child’s bus should be directed to Christine Spagnoli at 398-1240 or 398-1222. For additional information/questions, please see the District’s Transportation FAQ, available h ere.
