ONE NEWARK SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES
According to NPS Policy, any student participating in the One Newark Shuttle Bus Services is under the supervision of Newark Public Schools. While at Central Hub drop-off locations, there are guiding policies to keep children accounted for and safe. Please review the following guidelines and responsibilities with your child.
PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN RESPONSIBILITY
- Read and discuss with your child/children the responsibilities, behavior expectations and warnings.
- Inform your child/children of the location of the Central Hub and pick-up and drop off times.
- Support school officials in their efforts to operate a safe and efficient transportation system.
If you are driving your child/children to their Central Hub location, please ensure the following:
- Drop your child/children off at least 10 minutes prior to their shuttle bus departure.
- Ensure your child/children enter the building of their Central Hub safely.
- Ensure you are not blocking shuttle bus traffic.
If your child is walking to or from their Central Hub location, please ensure the following:
- Identify the Safe Routes Map for your neighborhood. These are found online at https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/safe-routes and at Central Hub locations.
- Walk the route with your child/children before the first day.
- Ensure your child/children get to their Central Hub at least 10 minutes prior to their shuttle bus departure.
STUDENT ARRIVAL RESPONSIBILITY
- Arrive to your Central Hub at least 10 minutes prior to your shuttle bus departure.
- Immediately enter the building and check in with the teacher’s aide for your shuttle bus.
STUDENT BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS
For the safety of everyone at the Central Hub and on the shuttle bus, please:
- Respect yourself, others and shuttle bus property.
- Cooperate with the teacher’s aide, security staff, shuttle bus driver and others.
- Enter and exit the shuttle bus one student at a time.
- Stay in your assigned seat, until you have reached your designated shuttle stop.
- Always keep your hands, head, and feet inside the shuttle bus at all times.
- Do not drop or throw objects inside or outside the shuttle bus.
- Do not eat or drink anything on the shuttle bus.
- Do not litter on the shuttle bus.
- No inappropriate language (name calling or cursing in any language).
- Never bring or keep weapons, alcohol, or drugs including tobacco for yourself or anyone.
- No physical or verbal altercations (screaming at each other, hitting with hands or any other objects).
DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITY
- Provide a Central Hub location that includes a safe area for inclement weather, access to bathrooms, heat, water and telephones.
- Staff every Central Hub with two security personnel.
- Staff every Central Hub with at least two teacher’s aides.
- Staff every shuttle with a shuttle bus aide.
- Provide an emergency plan specific to each Central Hub.
- Provide policies and procedures for Central Hubs and Shuttle buses.
- Provide safe and efficient routes to school.
- Collaborate with local First Responders and the Newark Police Department to ensure quick emergency response and additional assistance with patrol and safety.
TEACHER’S AIDE RESPONSIBILITY
- Arrive by 6:15am to receive children at Central Hub locations.
- Follow the district’s end of day policy for late students who miss their bus.
- Arrive by 3:00pm to receive children at Central Hub locations from their bus.
- Stay at Central Hub locations until 5:30pm.
- Keep an attendance list for all students.
- Ensure all students who arrive get on the school bus safely.
- First Aid certified.
- Know the emergency plan for their location.
- Transfer the attendance list to the shuttle bus aide.
SECURITY RESPONSIBILITY
- Arrive at 6am to do a sweep of the perimeter.
- Remain on post until all shuttle buses have left the Central Hub.
- Return to the Central Hub at 3pm and remain on post until all buses have dropped children off and children have begun their walk home.
- Patrol the Central Hub location during the hours of pick-up and drop-off.
- Enforce and ensure safety protocols during Central Hub hours.
- Liaise with Central Hub administrators if additional support is needed.
BUS AIDE RESPONSIBILITY
- Receive the attendance list for their shuttle bus from the teacher’s aide.
- Ensure children’s adherence to behavior expectations.
- Transfer the attendance list to the receiving school.
BEHAVIOR POLICY
It is the district’s policy to focus on restorative behavior practices and progressive disciple. However, if after working with students on behavior improvement, there continue to be behavior violations, further action will be taken which is outlined below. According to NPS Policy: The principal, following regular disciplinary procedures, shall be allowed to suspend students who violate the code of conduct from riding shuttle buses. This does not imply suspension from classes. After two shuttle bus suspensions, and following regular disciplinary procedures, the student may be restricted from using shuttle services for the rest of the school year or a portion thereof. A student’s riding privilege shall not be suspended until parents are notified of the problem. When a student has been suspended from riding a shuttle bus, it is the responsibility of the parent to ensure the student gets to and from schools safely.
If any of the above behavior expectations are violated, the shuttle bus driver will make a referral of the violation to the school administration and the following disciplinary actions will be taken:
- 1st Warning
- Shuttle bus driver warning that repeated violations may result in a loss of shuttle bus service privileges, as an attempt to correct the behavior when and where it happens
- 2nd Warning
- Principal or assistant principal will conference with the student and create a behavior modification plan (e.g., behavior contract).
- Suspension from the shuttle bus may occur with this violation from one to three days.
- Parents or guardians will be notified.
- 3rd Warning
- Student will be suspended from the shuttle bus for three to five school days.
- Parents or guardian will participate in a conference with the principal or assistant principal to discuss student’s misbehavior and attempts by the school to correct. This is an opportunity to try and see if there are other issues (e.g., bullying) causing the students behavior.
- The behavior modification plan will be updated jointly with the parent and principal, with the understanding that further violations will lead to loss of shuttle bus service privileges.
- 4th Warning
- After three warnings, the student may be banned from the shuttle bus services for the rest of the school year or a portion thereof.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE
When a student has been suspended from riding a shuttle bus, it is the responsibility of the parent to ensure the student gets to and from school safely.
- Please note that a suspension from the shuttle bus does not mean that the student is suspended from school (the classroom).
- If a student misses school because they were suspended from the shuttle bus the absence is unexcused.
ONE NEWARK SHUTTLE SERVICES: LATE PROCEDURES
This document outlines the steps that are taken in the event that a student shows up late for their bus or a parent shows up late to pick up their child at the Central Hub location after school.
LATE MORNING ARRIVAL
- Teacher’s aides will remain at the Central Hub location approximately 20-30 minutes after the last bus departs.
- If a student arrives late to their Central Hub location and has missed their bus, the teacher’s aide will call the parents to pick up their child and transport them to school.
- If parents are unreachable, the teacher’s aide will call NPS Security at 973-733-6762 or 973-733-8986 to log a late shuttle sweep. Wait times for the shuttle sweep may be between 15-60 minutes causing the student to be late to school.
- The teacher’s aide will take the late child into the Central Hub location to wait for the shuttle sweep.
LATE AFTERNOON ARRIVAL
- Teacher’s aides will remain at the Central Hub location approximately 15 minutes after the last bus drops children off at the Central Hub location.
- If a child arrives by bus to their Central Hub location in the afternoon and they are not allowed to walk, their parent MUST be waiting to pick up their child.
- If the student’s parent is not at the Central Hub location within 5 minutes of the bus arriving, the teacher’s aide will call the parents.
- If the parents are unreachable, the teacher’s aide will call NPS Security at 973-733-6762 or 973-733-8986.
- NPS Security will send dispatch to the student’s home address.
- If the parents are unreachable, NPS Security will call the Newark Police Department.