Keep your hands to yourself-No hitting, punching or fighting
No loud voices or shouting- use a quiet voice
Keep the bus clean-No eating or drinking
No smoking-including e-cigarettes
No inappropriate language or subject matter
No loud music and no inappropriate lyrics

NYS School Bus Drivers are required to complete many hours of continued training and testing each year and SGI Drivers are no exception. Many hours may be spent just learning to drive the school bus to qualify for a CDL Class B License with a passenger and school bus endorsement. Once a CDL License is obtained and before hire, drivers must be drug tested, fingerprinted, pass a physical and complete 4 hours of pre-service training. Within the first year of employment the driver will complete the NYSED required 30 Hour Basic Course for school bus drivers. Twice a year drivers are required to attend a 2 hour refresher designed to keep them up to date on current trends. Yearly Drivers are required by the State of NY under Article 19A to be observed while transporting students. Every two years the driver is required to pass a written test and a Behind the Wheel road test under Article 19 A. Physicals are given on a yearly basis also. Each year the driver’s Driving Abstract is reviewed. New York State Dept. of Education requires that every two years a school bus driver perform and pass a physical performance test. The requirements and responsibilities of being a school bus driver for SGI are many and the professionalism and dedication are sometimes overlooked as the job is performed each day, however each month we will post a different driver profile to help you understand the commitment each of SGI’s school bus drivers has to the district’s students and community.

All students in our school system who ride a bus to school are, by law, the responsibility of this school district, from the time they get on the bus until they get off. All students are subject to regulations until they get off at their school or the bus stop near their home. Any misbehavior which distracts the driver is a very serious hazard to the safe operation of the vehicle, and, as such, jeopardizes the safety of all passengers.

Every school bus and driver has been supplied with a School Bus Incident Reporting System, which reflects the rules of student conduct. Students may be cited for, but not limited to, the following activities:

Refusing to Obey Transportation Department Staff
Failure to Remain Seated
Eating Food on Bus
Lighting Matches
Bothering Others
Other Acts of Vandalism
Abuse of Bus Pass
Throwing Objects out of Bus
Throwing Objects on Bus
Hanging out of Window
Tobacco Use
Profanity
Vandalism
Spitting
Fighting
Drug Or Alcohol Use

If your child is reported and is found in violation of any of the above, the principal may take the following disciplinary action:

First Offense: A warning to the student with a report to the parents. It is hoped that you, the parents, will work with us to help to prevent a reoccurrence. However, in instances of a serious first offense, as determined by a building principal, an offender may automatically have his/her riding privileges suspended.

Second Offense: A conference may be held with the student, parent(s), and/or bus driver. Detention may be assigned at the Middle and High School levels. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken at the elementary level.

Third Offense: Automatic suspension of riding privileges – the length of time to depend on the seriousness of the infraction, and a report to parents.

We hope that in sending this letter to inform you of the system now in effect, you will see it as a reflection of our ever-present interest in the personal safety and wellbeing of your children and an opportunity to review bus conduct with your children so that they know that you know what is expected of them. In this way, we can all work together to ensure the safety of our children.

NAME	TITLE	PHONE
Ann Rugg	Transportation Supervisor	716-592-3278

Brenda Ditchey	School Dispatcher	716-592-3278

William Papich	Lead Mechanic	716-592-3281

Springville-Griffith Institute

School Bus Safety and Your Child

School Bus Safety Tips for Parents & Students

Rules for Riding on the Bus