Transportation

Child Care

If your student is new to the District (including kindergarten) and requires pick-up and/or drop-off at a location other than your home, please give us a call and let us know. We will need the address, name, and phone number of the child's daycare and please be informed that your students selected caregiver must live within the student's school attendance area for bus service to be provided.

Medical Information

If your child has a severe medical condition or allergy we should know about please contact the Transportation Department. 

Schools of Choice Families

Any schools of choice students (either internal or external) who wish to ride a bus need to contact the Transportation Department to check availability and verify stop locations.  The Transportation Department cannot guarantee that you will have a spot on the bus.  All routed and bus assignments from previous years will not apply.  Please contact us immediately so that we may assist you the best that we can.

Bus Rider Registration

Safely tracking & transporting your students is of utmost importance to us at Lowell Area Schools. To ensure that we deliver on this commitment, we must be clear on all aspects of communication regarding your students pick-up and/or drop-off location.  This includes any additional pick-up and/or drop-off location other than the permanent home address.  Please contact the Transportation Office with an additions or changes. 

To ensure our commitment to excellence on the roadways with your students, we encourage parents to become educated on our Transportation Policies & Rules.  Please take time to review the Transportation Rules and Regulations, share it with your student(s), sign and return it to your bus driver. The rules and regulations listed below are a careful study based upon the experiences we have had in the operation of a school bus system. Cooperation and Courtesy of the following suggestions will permit us to better serve your child.

Policies

No "Extra Rider" Policy

It is the policy of Lowell Area Schools to allow only those students assigned to a bus route to ride that bus.  This helps to assure that each rider gets to the proper school in the morning, and to the correct location in the afternoon.Exceptions will be permitted only, for a necessary change in Day-Care provider, or for a family emergency.  A parent or legal guardian must first contact the Transportation Office at 616-987-2540, notifying us of the emergency, before any transportation change will be permitted.  It is a good idea for parents or guardians to follow up with a note to the driver as well.  

Rules & Regulations

Bus Rider Rules
 

• Respect your driver, others and self
• Be at least five (5) minutes early to the bus stop. 
• Quietly remain ten steps back from the designated bus stop. Wait for the drivers signal to load. No pushing please. 
• Be on time
• Eating, smoking, and drinking is not permitted on the bus.(This includes e-cig's as well)
• Remain seated while bus is in motion
• Keep the bus clean
• Musical instruments must be held by the owner. Do not leave them in the aisle or at the front or rear emergency doors.
• Keep head, arms, and hands inside windows
• Be courteous! Profanity, fighting, teasing, vulgar language, or physical contact of any kind will not be tolerated. 
• Obey drivers' orders respectfully and only leave your seat when your bus comes to a complete stop. 
• Cross in the front of the bus when crossing the road. DO NOT CROSS IN BACK OF THE BUS!
• Drivers are authorized to assign seats
• Individual drivers may make additional rules as needed for their bus.
• Students must go directly into school or to their assigned areas after leaving the bus.
• Students must be quiet at railroad crossings
• Any malicious damage to a school bus will be paid for by the person responsible for the damage. 

Bus Stop Safety Rules
 

• Never talk to strangers - especially strangers in vehicles.
• Students should report to their parents, bus driver or school officials any suspicious vehicle or people.
• Always have a second house or place to go if there is a problem at a bus stop.
• Children should walk in pairs if at all possible.
• Students should be at their stop a reasonable time prior to their bus's scheduled arrival times, but not earlier than 5 minutes before scheduled bus arrival.
• Parents should know their students' bus number and bus times.
• No horse play while in line at the bus stop - no running, shoving, etc.
• Stay off private property.
• Adults, please be alert to inappropriate student behavior or suspicious activities near your bus stop and report them to the police or school officials.

School Bus Regulations
 

• Use a tote bag with your student's name to carry papers. lunches, shoes, etc.
• Names should be on all boots, lunch boxes, coats, backpacks, etc. to help return these items to students when left on the bus.
• If we are making a stop where your student is the only rider, please call the Transportation Office and let us know if they will NOT BE RIDING in the morning, or if you will be picking them up from school.

Front of Bus Crossing Procedures

The Lowell Area Schools Transportation Department has adopted an approved uniform, hand signal for all students who may have to cross in front of the bus. At the beginning of each school year, students in grades K-5 are taught the proper way to safely cross in front of the bus. Parents are asked to please review the following procedures with their children before school begins

When students have to cross the roadway in front of the bus, the should:

1. Exit the bus and always walk to the front of the bus.
2. Be at least ten (10) steps in front of the bus before starting to cross the roadway.
3. Wait for the approved signal(if appropriate) from the driver before crossing.
4. Stop at the traffic side of the bus and look left, right, and left again to be sure it is safe to cross.
5. If it is safe to cross, walk across the roadway. DO NOT RUN!

Special Education students who cannot travel on regular Lowell buses and need special transportation, as written on their current IEP, will be transported by KISD/Dean Transportation.  Please call The Special Education Office at (616) 987-2516 if your child's name has not already been given to Dean Transportation.