Our children are our most important asset and their safety is our number one concern. Every day it takes the collaboration of thousands of students and parents along with hundreds of staff members and vendor employees to ensure that our students are transported to and from school in a safe and efficient manner. It is critical that we all work together as a team to accomplish this task.
Please take a few moments to review this information with your child/children to reinforce its content and to impress upon them the importance of polite and courteous behavior. We are constantly striving to maximize safety and efficiency in our operations. Every decision is made with integrity and with the best interests of our students and community in mind. We are committed to being the best at what we do, and look forward to working with you to ensure your student’s transportation needs are fulfilled.
If you any questions, comments or concerns regarding student transportation, please feel free to contact our Transportation Department at 860-827-2239. The information below offers convenient resources for parents and staff to monitor bus route progress in real time, as well as guidelines and expectations for bus behavior to ensure safe transportation for students to and from school.
•Click the dropdown tabs below for information regrading our bus stop guidelines, conduct/safety guidelines, and more.
All passengers are required to wear a face mask or cloth face covering that completely covers the nose and mouth during transit, before boarding the bus, and must be kept in place until they are completely off the bus.
Specific bus stops are selected based on site safety conditions (sight line, ability to pull in and out of pickup points safely, available turnaround if necessary, etc), neighborhood student population and distance between bus stops.
There is a ten (10) minute window before and after a student’s given pickup or drop off time. For example, if a student is told his or her pickup time is 8:30 a.m. this means that the acceptable window for the bus to arrive is 8:20-8:40 a.m. Students should be waiting at the bus stop throughout this period. Please do not call the Bus Company or Board of Education prior to the conclusion of this window.
Students must be fully visible to the driver! If a student remains inside the house or in a parked car, the driver may not stop. In the event that this occurs, the bus will not return for the student.
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students are required to have an adult at the bus stop at all times. The designated person must be visible to the driver (e.g. not waiting inside a car or house). If there is no parent or guardian present upon drop off, the child will be returned to school or the New Britain Police Department. Older siblings riding the same bus may not stand in for parent/guardian. It is strongly urged for an adult to accompany any young child at the bus stop. However, it is not required for students in grade 1 or above. A child of any age who is uncomfortable getting off the bus for any reason upon arriving at the bus stop may request a ride back to school.
While waiting for the bus, stand in the designated spot only. Do not run in the road. Do not go into private yards or driveways. Be respectful of all property near the bus stop. When the bus arrives, board and take a seat promptly, facing forward at all times. Likewise, when the bus drops off, disembark (and cross the street, if applicable) without delay.
Each August, students eligible for transportation are assigned stops based on their home address. If alternate arrangements are needed, parents must contact the school regardless of whether arrangements were made the previous year. This includes special medical requests. Please note that all special medical request must be routed through your school nurse and approved by the District Nurse and Physician.
Routes are posted online, at each school and in the local newspaper prior to the first day of school. Cards with each student’s specific bus information will also be mailed home. If you have any questions regarding your child’s assigned bus stop, please call the Board of Education at 860-827-2200. A request for a bus stop change must be made and approved by the Board of Education. Drivers are not authorized to make changes.
The Board of Education provides home to school transportation for all Pre-Kindergarten students to their assigned school. Students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade who are deemed eligible are assigned corner bus stops, unless special transportation is required due to medical or other reasons.
Conduct and Discipline Guidelines
Students, parents, and guardians are expected to show respect to others at all times. Parents/guardians should remind students that the school bus is a privilege which may be revoked for anyone who does not follow the rules. Parents/guardians are not allowed to board the bus for any reason. Bus drivers are prohibited from letting students off at any stop other than that for which they are scheduled unless they have written permission from the school or Board of Education.
Prohibited Items
Items which are allowed by the student’s school are allowed on the bus, so long as they do not block the bus aisle or emergency exit. No drugs, tobacco, alcohol, weapons, aerosol cans or dangerous objects (e.g. lighters) are allowed. Students found to have prohibited items in their possession will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from school.
Lost and Found
Items left on the bus will be kept for one week. Students may ask the driver or call the Board of Education at 860-827-2200. Neither the Board of Education nor the bus companies will be held liable for lost items.
Expected Behavior on Busses
All students are expected to do the following:
- Walk to their bus safely.
- Board the bus in an orderly fashion and take their seats promptly.
- Share seats with others and remain seated until their designated stop.
- Use appropriate language and respectful speaking voices at all times.
- Keep hands, feet, and belongings inside the bus and to themselves.
- Follow the directions and be respectful of the bus driver who is responsible for the safety of all passengers.
- While the bus is in motion, do not stand, change seats or distract the driver in any way.
- Keep all parts of your body and objects to yourself.
- Do not block the aisle or emergency exit, litter, or damage the bus in any way.
Poor Behavior on Busses
Students who have been observed by the bus driver or bus monitor to have damaged a school bus, for whom it has been necessary to discipline for inappropriate behavior while being transported, or have otherwise been suspended or expelled from school may have their transportation privileges suspended by the school principal (or designee), the Pupil Services Department, and/or be investigated by the Transportation Department before action is taken.
The length of suspension shall be commensurate with the action which necessitated the suspension of transportation. Should transportation privileges be suspended, the student’s parents or guardians shall be notified of the revocation of transportation privileges and be responsible for the student’s transportation until transportation is reinstated. Repeated transportation suspensions may result in a termination of transportation for the duration of the academic year. Remember that transportation is a privilege and not a right.
The walking distance for Kindergarten through grade 5 is one-half (0.5) mile; for grades 6-8, one and one-half (1.5) miles; and grades 9-12 is two (2) miles. Connecticut State School Accommodation Guidelines permit a maximum walking distance to be one (1) mile for kindergarten to grade 3; one and one-half (1.5) miles for grades 4-8; and two (2) miles for grades 9-12.
Community Partners: Transportation will be provided to the before and the after school program located at the YWCA, and after school program located at the Boys & Girls Club.
Daycare: Under certain circumstances, elementary school students (Special transportation students in grades Pre-K through Five) shall be picked up from, or dropped off at, a licensed day care center or private sitter in lieu of their home. This alternative transportation shall only be approved and provided if the licensed day care center or private sitter’s residence is within the assigned school district of the parents/guardians’ residence, and meets the distance requirement listed above.
Staff Directory | Transportation Department
The Transportation Office is based out of the New Britain Educational Administration Center, located at 272 Main Street. The main phone number to the department is 860-827-2239. Our transportation vendors are First Student (860-259-2023) and Specialty Transportation (860-357-3776).
