Rules for Students Riding School, Chartered or Metro Buses:

A comprehensive approach for ensuring safe student conduct on buses is followed in the District. This approach will be used for handling all student management problems on buses and includes progressive actions. These actions include verbal warnings by the bus driver, and written warnings and bus suspensions handled by the principals or designees. At various steps in the process, parents will be informed. If you are informed of rule infractions by your students, please counsel them to prevent future rule infractions and possible bus suspension.

Rules for riding school buses have been approved by the Seattle School Board:

1. The driver is in full charge of the bus and passengers, and must be obeyed. If a supervisor is assigned to the bus by the District, he/she will be responsible for the behavior of the students while the driver remains responsible for the safe operation of the bus. Students must obey both driver and supervisor.
2. Students shall ride only on their assigned bus unless written permission to do otherwise has been received by school authorities.
3. Unless written permission is obtained by school authorities, no student shall be permitted to leave the bus except at his/her regular stop.
4. If a student is assigned to a seat, he/she will use only that seat unless permission to change is authorized by the driver.
5. Classroom conduct must be observed on buses. Noise must be kept down to avoid distracting drivers.
6. There will be no smoking or igniting of lighters or matches on buses.
7. Buses must be kept clean. Eating and drinking are not allowed.
8. Students will not open windows without the driver's permission.
9. Students will not extend any part of their body out of the bus windows at any time.
10. Students may not carry or have in their possession items that can cause injury to passengers on the bus. Such items include, but are not limited to, sticks, breakable containers, weapons or firearms, straps or pins protruding from clothing.
11. Animals are not permitted on buses, except "seeing eye" dogs.
12. Students are not permitted to sit in the driver's seat or to the immediate right or left of the driver.
13. Students should refrain from talking to drivers unless necessary.
14. Once inside the bus, students must go directly to a seat and remain seated at all times unless the driver instructs otherwise.
15. Students must get on/off the bus in an orderly manner and must obey the instructions of the school safety patrol if on duty. There will be no pushing and shoving when boarding or leaving the bus. Once off the bus, students must adhere to rules for pedestrians.
16. When off-loading, students must never cross the street behind a yellow school bus unless they use pedestrian crosswalks or traffic lights. Students riding Metro buses must wait for the bus to depart the stop and then cross the street. Students are never to cross in front of a Metro bus.
17. Students must stand away from the roadway curb when any bus is approaching or leaving a stop
18. If there are no sidewalks, students going to and from their bus stops must walk on the left-hand side of the roadway facing oncoming traffic.
19. If lap belts are available on the bus, students must use them.
20. Emergency Exit Drill procedures will be followed as prescribed by the driver.
21. Parents of students identified as causing damage to buses will be charged with the cost of the incurred damage. Students causing the damage may be suspended from transportation.
22. Student misconduct constitutes sufficient reason for suspending transportation privileges.

Students assigned to ride Metro Transit busses click here to view Metro Transit bus rules.