I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
You can call the individual bus yard for your school district to check to see what the policy is on stops. I will usually make a stop in front of a child's house with the exception of a few of my stops. One stop is down at a dead end and there is no turn around spot for me, so the children have to meet me at the nearest intersection. The other few times is during my first run, I give certain older kids the opportunity to get off at a stop and walk to their homes, though on the second round I often pass by their homes directly.
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If she is texting and driving and being unsafe on the bus, you do need to report it. If she threatens you with a write up if you do report it, then she needs to be reported. You shouldn't be worried about retaliation from the school for reporting her unprofessional behavior.
In my district, special needs buses have to have two people on board, the driver and the aide. I was speaking only from personal experience. I've also had other bus drivers help me and I help them as well on checking the reverse and rear lights. Here in my district, we do not get off our buses to walk students into school. The only time we are to be off our buses with students on board is to operate the lift. Thats why special needs buses will have an aide and a driver on board in order to help manage the situation.
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First off, the child is 5 years old and has been walking 5 blocks all this time and you didn't think to question it until now in the middle of winter? Secondly routes are usually set by the individual bus company. As far as legality, our state suggestion is that students bus stops can be anywhere from a quarter to a full mile length from their homes or closer if necessary. Sometimes though adjustments to the routes must be made to accommodate road closures.
I am not sure if there are particular state or county laws where you live that govern the height of a window on a bus that is down. I suggest you check with your CDL trainer and boss at your bus shop yard. They can better advise you. My personal policy is to let the children let down the windows if they are hot. If the windows are not down, it is the children's personal choice not to let the windows down. If I have little ones, I have an older child help put those windows down in order to make the little ones more comfortable.
That is true, you shouldnt put the bus in reverse and get out and walk behind. If you have an aide, have them walk behind the bus while you control the bus in order to test the back up lights. If you're alone, then I would either ask one of my co-workers to check or get a pvc pipe so that you can wedge it between the seat and brake pedal (with the parking brake set of course) and instead of getting out of the bus you can simply walk down the aisle inside the bus and peek out the back door to see if the lights seem to be functioning properly. I would not do what your boss is suggesting as that puts yours and others safety at risk.
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