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Transportation
7860
North McDonough Street
Jonesboro, Georgia 30236-2435
Phone: 770-473-2835
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding
School Bus Transportation
Clayton County Public Schools Transportation
Supervisors receive as many as 100 phone calls daily. Here is a
list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS to assist you with answers to
the most commonly asked questions. If your question is not
answered here, please do not hesitate to phone 770-473-2835.
Shelia Byrom, a veteran driver, is our receptionist and will
direct your concern to the appropriate party.
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Why is my child’s bus late?
Weather, traffic, driver absenteeism,
maintenance difficulties, and unforeseen incidents are
responsible for delays in the arrival of school buses in the
morning and afternoon.
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Sometimes the bus routes must be doubled out
or run as a second load to or from the school due to the
regular driver being absent.
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Traffic in the metro-Atlanta area is
increasingly complex.
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Drivers check buses before their routes and
sometimes find mechanical problems that can cause delays and
require driving another bus for that day. This can cause the
bus to be unpunctual.
Please know that we are doing everything
humanly possible to have all buses running on schedule
everyday. In the even that your bus does not arrive as
scheduled, please allow ten to thirty minutes before calling
the Transportation office or the school.
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Why did you suspend my child from riding the
bus?
Behavioral expectations on the school bus are
much like those in the classroom. Then, factor in the mobility
of that “classroom” and traffic, added noise and the size of
the “classroom” and you have a potential catastrophe if there
are not clear expectations and enforcement. The behavioral
expectations on the bus revolve around the individual rights
of every person on the bus, including the driver and the
collective rights of students and driver as it pertains to
SAFETY. Anything that jeopardizes the safety of individuals on
the bus is viewed as serious.
Most drivers have Bus rules or Expectations
posted on the bus. When there is an infraction, a referral is
turned into the school administrators, who are responsible for
contacting the student and parent to solve the lack of
compliance with bus expectations. The school administrator
is solely responsible for consequences based on the incident
as described by the driver and student. All buses have
video cameras, which are used to verify incidents. Our goal is
never to deny any student transportation to and from school,
but we must maintain safety for all students.
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Why can’t you come further into my
sub-division?
School buses come in various sizes ranging
from 25 to 36 feet long, 20,000-26,000 pounds, 12-13 feet high
and 6-9 feet wide. The length is what limits the school bus to
be maneuvered in cul-de-sacs and tight places. Smaller buses
can turn in a shorter radius, while longer buses cannot
maneuver the same circle without backing the bus, which is
avoided in routing if possible. Residents sometimes park
trucks, boats, and trailers on the streets. Children leave
their bicycles, skateboards, and basketball backboards on the
streets. Although our drivers are trained to be able to
parallel park their buses, some sub-divisions are not designed
with school bus transportation in mind. Please know that we
will design school bus routes to be safe and convenient to the
majority of students within the limits of time and physics.
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Why does my child have a seat assignment?
Seat assignments are a positive way for the
ride to be consistent and safe. It is also our policy for
elementary and middle school students to be assigned to a
specific seat. This aids the driver with discipline and
learning each student’s name at the beginning of the school
year. We trust our drivers to let us know when this policy is
no longer effective.
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Why can’t my child get off wherever they want
in the afternoon?
To avoid multiple problems, the driver
requires a note, signed by the parent and school administrator
to alter the destination of students. This allows the drivers
to focus on driving and safety instead of having to decide
whether the student should be allowed to change their routine
and get off with a friend or ride to an entirely different
neighborhood. This should be the decision of the parent. The
driver has no other way to verify that the parent has made
this decision. This policy avoids confusion and the chance of
students getting lost or running away.
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How do you decide when it is too dangerous
for school buses to transport students to school due to
inclement weather? Who decides? How is the public notified?
The Superintendent of schools is responsible
for the final decision to close schools due to inclement
weather. The decision is made after administrative staff
report from various positions in the county regarding road
conditions. Other factors considered are school facility
information (heat, water, power), school parking lost
conditions, temperature and wind chill, snow and ice build up
on main and secondary roads and weather forecasts and
predictions. A decision will be made and the public will be
notified by 6 AM. The following media sites will carry that
information to the public:
| Radio
Stations |
Television Stations |
| WSB 750 AM |
WSB-TV Channel
2 |
| WFOX 97.1 FM |
WAGA-TV
Channel 5 |
| WGST 105.7 FM |
WXIA-TV
Channel 11 |
| WKHX 101.5 FM |
WGNX-TV
Channel 46 |
| WYAY or WYAI
106.7 FM |
|
| STAR94 94.1 FM |
|
| WAZX 1550 AM |
|
| WFTD 1080 AM |
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If the schools close during the day, the
students will be sent home on their regular bus or daycare van
unless other directions are on file at the student’s school.
IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCEPT PHONED IN DIRECTIONS THAT
DAY UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES. Please give your child’s
school written instructions regarding inclement weather
transportation ASAP.
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Why are there only 30 students riding some
buses and my child’s bus is crowded?
Decisions regarding each bus route are made by
careful planning based on information from the school
registration, previous similar routes, and Department of
Transportation data. Most routes are fixed during the summer
months and changes are made after the first two weeks of
school, if not sooner. The more current information we are
given, the better decisions regarding specific routes we can
make. Distance from school, nunber of buses and drivers, and
grouping of students and neighborhoods are factors considered
also. Sometimes it is just not possible to have the exact
number students on every run. State and National guidelines
allow for up to 20% over capacity seating. Our guidelins are
as follows:
|
Our Passenger Seating Guidelines |
| Bus
Capacity |
Grades K-6 |
Grades 7-8 |
Grades 9-12 |
| 66 |
66 |
49 |
44 |
| 72 |
71 |
52 |
47 |
| 84 |
84 |
62 |
56 |
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What is severe clause?
Severe Clause means that when a discipline
infraction occurs under the policy, the student is subject to
immediate referral to the principal with NO exceptions.
Specific severe clause infractions, which include drug,
weapons, alcohol, tobacco, and bullying are listed in the
Clayton County School District policy manual. This information
is also available in local school handbooks, student folders,
and the district web site at
www.clayton.k12.ga.us.
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How can I become a school bus driver?
We are always looking for good candidates to
train to become school bus drivers. We have classes beginning
every other week. Applications are available at:
The Transportation Department
7860 N McDonough Street
Jonesboro, GA 30236
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How can I receive transportation for my special
needs child?
A committee of people already involved in a
student’s education determines transportation needs. After it
has been determined that the student would benefit from being
transported apart from the mainstreamed students, the teacher
will complete and send a special needs transportation request to
out office for processing.
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How long does it take to set up transportation
for my special needs child?
Five(5) days are needed to obtain all emergency
information, process routing information, contact drivers and
communicate with parents and other professionals involved.
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What is the average time length of the ride for
special needs students?
Our goal, for students within the Clayton County
district, is no more than one hour.
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Why can’t last minute changes be granted?
SAFETY is our main goal and concern. Changes
may be granted for consistent schedules within the child’s
regular route.
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Can I reach someone in the Transportation
Department before 8 AM?
Yes. Our Dispatcher is available from 6 AM to
9:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 5 PM by phone at 770-473-2835.
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