Dear Rockford Families,

We are diligently working on transportation routes for the upcoming school year and look forward to providing a safe and healthy environment for your students.  Below are some updates for you.

 

Safety Protocols

We will continue to do the following.

• Buses will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after evening routes.
• Hand sanitizer and masks will be available for students entering and exiting the bus.
• As a best practice, students will not be allowed to eat or chew gum on the bus, unless there is a medical reason to do so.

 

Bus Registration

Registration will allow one route with the pick–up and drop-off points remaining the same. We understand this may create challenges for some families, however, this is necessary due to driver shortage. We appreciate your support and understanding for this new procedure.  If you have not signed your student up for transportation, then you will need to call the office and check on availability.  Our phone number is 616.863.6328.

• Registrations received after route design will be reviewed for availability of bus space. If there is no room on the route, there may be a delay of up to two weeks after school starts to place students on a route.
• Attendance will be taken on the routes. If a student has not ridden the bus for two weeks, we will contact you to discuss your student’s situation and make changes as necessary. This will allow us to provide transportation for students who may be waiting for a seat.
• You will be able to access your student’s route information in Family Access starting late August.

We look forward to seeing your children this fall, and we will continue to keep safety first as we encourage and support one another. Please feel free to reach out to the Transportation Department with any questions or concerns. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

Matthew E Puett
Rockford Public Schools
Transportation Director

TOP 10 for TRANSPORTATION

1.  Is your number up? Meaning your house number, of course. Not only does this help out the school bus driver but it could also help you in the event of an emergency. Many times locating a correct address can be very difficult if your house number is not legible.
2. Have you updated all your contact information at each school building for all of your children? Many times throughout the school year we encounter problems with disconnected phone numbers making it difficult to contact parents.
3. Check your Family Access account for all your bussing information, including bus number, times, and bus stop pick-up/drop-off points. Family Access will be available the last week of August.
4. Call the Transportation office if you require a change in bussing.
5. Remember, your day care provider must live within the same boundaries as the school in which your children attend to benefit from Transportation.
6. Each student is given one pick-up address and one drop-off address. The routing program will not permit multiple stops on varying days.
7. The school bus driver has a difficult job to do. We expect the students to abide by the rules set forth to ensure safety for all. The school bus is an extension of the classroom – not the playground.
8. Many of the buses have a camera system with audio. These systems cannot be viewed remotely. We only review video if there is a reported problem. The camera can be your best friend or…your worst enemy.
9. Due to traffic flow, weather conditions, and many other factors, the school bus will generally arrive within a 10 minute window–5 minutes before or after your scheduled time.
10. The school bus does not transport students to after school jobs, dentist appointments, or to local businesses in or outside the city limits. After school birthday parties, scout meetings, etc. cannot be transported due to the varying number of students on each bus.