Safe school bus travel

The Escambia County School District’s Transportation Department has posted a video about Covid-19 precautions on www.escambiayellow.com.

“Our buses transport precious cargo, your children, and transporting them safely is our top priority,” said Darlene Hart, ECSD’s Director of Transportation.

“Parents can help us by watching the video with their children and talking about their expectations for behavior on the bus. This year is different in so many ways, hearing a consistent message at home, in school and on the bus will help all of us work together. Please stress the importance of wearing their masks, using hand sanitizer, and wearing their seatbelts in their assigned seats.”

Buses will be stocked with sanitation spray and wipes and drivers will thoroughly disinfected at least twice a day while students are not on the bus. The mist they will use is safe to be used in environments where students will be present.

Hand sanitizer will be provided as students enter and exit the bus.

All drivers will be masked and parents are asked to be sure students arrive at the bus stop with a mask and to help reinforce with their children the importance of wearing it properly and staying in their assigned seats with their seat belts on. If a student forgets their mask, drivers will have child and adult sized masks to give students.

“Assigned seats are more important this year on the buses and in classrooms,” added Hart. “Again, consistent messages are important and we are asking parents to help.”

Escambiayellow.com also has information about how to find out bus assignments that reads, “Parents can now find their child’s transportation assignment and the status of their transportation accommodation requests without calling or writing for updates.  Simply register for a Focus Parent Portal account. You can check student bus assignments, grades and more from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.”

If families have moved since schools closed in May, parents need to update their address and contact information in Focus this week. Bus routes are based on the addresses in Focus and update nightly.  Parents can go to the Focus Parent Portal page to find instructional videos.  http://ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/focuspp