MOUNT VERNON — With school now in session, bus safety should be a priority for everyone. To help remind pupils of safe bus rider practices, the Mount Vernon City Schools transportation department will visit each elementary building this week and conduct training sessions. The learning activities are for all kindergarten through third-grade students — even those who don’t ride the bus to school need to know the proper bus etiquette for field trips.
At Dan Emmett Elementary on Monday, the training started with a video featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends. As the great school bus adventure unfolded, Pooh kept reminding his friends — and the pupils — to “think, think, think, about safety.” The idea that “bus safety is a must when you ride the bus” was set to music to help the youngsters remember the message.
Among the bus safety rules reviewed by Pooh were:
•Stay two big steps away from the curb while waiting for the bus.
•Hold the rail when getting on or off the bus.
•Keep your feet in front of your seat.
•Never put any part of your body out of the bus window.
•Be polite and courteous.
•Don’t eat or drink on the bus.
•When getting off the bus, whoever is sitting closest to the front goes first.
After the video and a short question-and-answer period, the students went outside to practice what they had learned, under the direction of bus drivers Joan Jones and Scott Mickley. The pupils boarded the bus, then practiced unloading and rehearsing the safe way to cross the street after getting off the bus. They walked 10 steps ahead of the bus and kept an eye out for the driver’s signal to cross. Each student stopped before the center line and checked both ways for oncoming traffic before continuing across the street.
Teachers then helped the bus drivers conduct an evacuation drill, with the students taking turns exiting from the rear emergency door. The safety tip in that case is, “Don’t jump. Wait for someone to help you down.”
One student, Ethan Massie, said he learned how important it is to stay seated on the bus, and to stop crossing the street when the bus driver says stop.
In addition to the students, motorists need to be aware school buses are again on the road. School buses are equipped with amber and red warning lights to advise motorists of a stop. Amber flashing lights indicate caution; the school bus is preparing to stop. Red flashing lights mean stop; children are boarding or leaving the bus.
Motorists approaching from either direction are required to stop at least 10 feet from the stopped school bus, until the bus resumes motion. If a school bus is stopped on a roadway divided into four or more lanes, only traffic proceeding in the same direction as the bus must stop.
