LOADING AND UNLOADING

	LESSON PLAN		INSTRUCTOR NOTES
III. How Students Can Get On and Off the School Bus Safely So what do we teach our students about how to get on and off a school bus safely? And remember we have to teach it over and over Because they don’t remember it Let’s go over this handout First, some general rules Students should ALWAYS walk 10 feet in front of the bus, NEVER behind the bus Students should ALWAYS wait at least 5 giant steps (about 10 feet) away from the side of the bus Students should also move 5 giant steps way from the bus immediately after disembarking If a child drops something, he or she should tell the bus driver and NEVER try to pick it up Students should NEVER run to catch the bus Getting on the bus If students have to cross the road to get onto the school bus They should stay on the side of the road, away from traffic, until the bus stops and the driver signals to cross When the driver signals that it is safe to cross, students should first check for traffic (1) Many students are killed or injured by motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus (2) So students and driver must check for traffic in both directions — left-right-left As the students cross in front of the school bus, they should watch the driver (1) If the students can see the driver, the driver can see the students Students should board the bus using the handrail Students should move toward the rear quickly without crowding or pushing NOTE: IF the bus is not filled to capacity, have students sit in the middle of the bus Students should sit down quickly Getting off the bus Students should stay seated until the bus stops Students should not push or play on the way off the bus Students should use the handrails to avoid falls They should watch that straps, drawstrings, and clothing don’t get caught in the handrail or door Students should glance back toward the rear of the bus before they step off the bus To make sure no one is passing on the right Students should move 10 feet away from the bus at once If students have to cross the road to get home They should stay on the side of the road the bus let them off on (1) Away from traffic (2) 10 feet ahead of the bus where they can see the driver’s face When the driver signals that it is safe to cross, students should cross to the outside edge of the bus and check both ways for traffic (left-right-left) If it is clear, they should cross quickly If it is not clear, they should return to the curb What signal do you use to indicate that it is safe to cross? (Discuss.) Do all your students know the signal? (Yes.) Once off the bus, students should go directly home Now let’s talk about what you, the school bus driver, need to be doing during loading and unloading			III.C. Review Handout #2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

III.B. Distribute Handout #2, Getting On and Off the School Bus Safely. The rest of this section (III) reviews this handout. III.E.3. Some transportation providers require assigned seats. It makes loading much faster. Also, in the case of a crash, you can more readily account for the students on the bus. III.E.3.a. The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that “no passenger occupy seats in either the foremost or rearmost rows of passenger seats until all other seats have been occupied.” This practice will limit passenger exposure to rear- and front-end impacts. III.F.6.e. Get participants to share with each other the signals that they use. Some transportation providers use the closing of a door rather than a hand or head signal, which they feel might be interpreted by another motorist as a signal to proceed. III.F.6.f. Every student should know the driver’s “safe-to-cross” signal. If the answer to this question is not “yes,” the driver should make sure to teach his/her students the signal.