ARE WE THERE YET?:  Staying Safe Between Home and School
Tips for School Bus Riders: 
School officials, bus operators, parents, and students themselves are all responsible for ensuring that school bus riders follow these safety tips: 

At the bus stop: 
•	Students and parents are responsible for safety and proper behavior going to and from the stop and while waiting for the bus. 
•	Students must stand off the roadway while waiting. 
•	Students must respect other people’s property. 
•	Students must not push, shove, or engage in horseplay. 
•	Parents should supervise children at the stop if possible. 
•	Students must arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes prior to the scheduled pickup time. 
•	Students must wait for and get off the bus only at approved stop locations. 

During loading and unloading: 
•	Always stay away from the 10 foot “danger zone” around the bus, except when you are directed by the driver to get on or off the bus. 
•	NEVER pick up an object that you drop under or near the bus. Ask the driver for help. 
•	Always be sure the driver can see you. 
•	Make sure clothing and backpacks have no loose drawstrings or long straps that could catch in the handrail or bus door. 
•	When you see the bus coming, stand at the stop and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop. 
•	Always wait for the driver to signal that it is safe to cross the road and/or load into the bus. 
•	When crossing a traffic lane, always look left, right, then left again; cross only if approaching traffic has stopped. 
•	Never walk behind the bus or along the side of the 
•	Only board your assigned bus, unless other arrangements are approved by your school. 

During the bus ride: 
•	Always follow the driver’s directions. 
•	Never distract the driver from driving unless there is immediate danger to you or others. 
•	Remain seated and keep the aisles clear. 
•	Eating, drinking, and chewing gum are prohibited. 
•	Never bring unsafe or unauthorized items into the bus. 
•	Always wear your seat belt if you have one. 
•	Always keep your arms, legs, and head inside the bus. 
•	Always show respect for your fellow students. 
•	Keep conversation at a reasonable level and remain quiet at railroad crossings. The Student Code of Conduct applies in the bus as well as in the classroom. 

Did you know that the familiar yellow school bus is the safest way to and from school? Each year approximately 500 school-age children are killed in the United States during school transportation hours while using other modes of transportation. Only about two percent of the total deaths occur in or around school buses. 

Tips for Riders in Cars, SUVs, and Trucks: 
aDrivers and passengers in cars, SUVs, and trucks must always use appropriate safety restraints. Anyone transporting children needs a child safety seat, booster seat, or safety belt, depending on children’s sizes and ages. 
aPreschool age children should always be restrained properly in a secured child safety restraint system, such as a rear-facing infant seat, rear-facing convertible seat, forward-facing convertible seat, or forward-facing-only seat appropriate to their age and weight range. 
aAll children who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old, unless they are at least 4’ 9” tall. 
aThe back seat is the safest place in a crash. Children age 12 and under should ride properly restrained in back. Infants riding in rear-facing seats must NEVER be placed in front of an air bag. 

Tips for Parent Drivers and Teen Drivers: 
To reduce energy usage, pollution, and traffic congestion in neighborhoods, consider walking or bicycling with your children or having them take the school bus. If you need to drive, follow these safety tips: 

aWhen picking up children in the afternoon don’t arrive too early and hinder the movement of traffic in the neighborhood around the school. 
aWait in a single line and leave enough room so an emergency response vehicle would be able to get through. 
aDon’t block driveways, sidewalks, mailboxes, disabled parking spaces, or fire hydrants, and don’t park on lawns. 
aDon’t block access to or the view from side streets. 
aDon’t back out onto any street from the school parking lot or from a side street. 
aTry to arrange your drop off/pickup time after the peak rush hour and use designated loading and unloading areas. 
aAlways heed signs and the directions of school and law enforcement officials. 
aAlways obey posted speed limits and other traffic laws. 
aAct as you would want people to act if it were your neighborhood. 
aBe patient and understand that walkers, bicyclists, and school buses are trying to exit the school, too. 
aAlways ensure that you and your passengers buckle up. 
aNever talk on a cell phone, text, or engage in other distractions while driving. 

Did you know that young drivers, ages 15- to 20-years old, are especially vulnerable to death and injury on our roadways? Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America. Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. Most of the fatalities involving young drivers are the young drivers themselves and their passengers. 

Tips for Walking and Biking Safely: 
Walking and biking to and from school can be a great way to get exercise, interact with your children, and teach them 
lifelong traffic safety skills. Know your child’s abilities and remember your child’s limitations. Children under 10 years of age are developmentally limited when it comes to judging speed and distance accurately.

Walking 
Teach, practice, and remind children to: 
aWalk with an adult or responsible older child at all times. 
aChildren under 10 years old should cross the street only with an adult. 
aWalk on the sidewalk if there is one. 
aWalk facing the traffic, as far from the road/traffic as possible, if no sidewalk is available. 
aUse traffic signals and marked crosswalks if available. 
aStop at the curb or edge of the road and look left, right and left for traffic before crossing the street. 
aWalk; don’t run. 
aGive drivers time to see you before crossing the street. 
aKeep looking for cars while you are crossing. 
aWear white clothing or reflectors when walking in the dark or in low light. 

Biking 
Bicycles are vehicles and riders must follow Florida Traffic Laws. 

Teach, practice, and remind children to: 
aAlways wear a helmet that is properly fitted. 
aWhenever possible, ride with an adult or responsible older student. 
aAlways obey all traffic signs and signals. 
aRide on the right side of the road or trail in a single file (one bicycle behind another). 
aRide in the same direction as other vehicles. 
aGo straight across railroad tracks. 
aAlways use proper hand signals when turning and stopping. 
aYield to pedestrians and alert them with a bicycle bell or your voice when passing.

School staff, parents, and students are all responsible for creating a culture of positive behavior. Discuss with your child the student conduct information below. 
Parents and students must follow the school district’s Student Code of Conduct. A frequent form of misconduct is bullying. 

What is bullying? 
Unwanted and repeated written, verbal, or physical behavior, including any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture by an adult or student that is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment, cause discomfort or humiliation, or unreasonably interfere with the individual’s school performance or participation. 
Where Does Most Bullying Occur? 
As with most harmful behavior among children, in general bullying occurs wherever there is the least structure and adult supervision. Most incidents tend to occur on the playground, in bathrooms, in locker rooms, in cafeterias, in cyberspace, at bus stops, and in the school bus. 

What Can Parents and Students Do? 
Tips for Parents: 
aEncourage your child to talk to you. Praise your child for positive communication and behavior. 
aProvide/ensure adequate supervision. 
aTeach your child to be assertive rather than aggressive or violent when confronted by a bully. 
aVerify that consistent messages about rules and safety are practiced in your child’s school and staff is trained in bullying prevention. 
aBuild a relationship with your child’s teachers and administrators. 

Tips for Students: 
•	Stay away from bullies. 
•	Tell an adult. 
•	Avoid bad situations. 
•	Make friends. 
•	If bullied, tell the bully to stop; then walk away. 

Did you know that research shows that at least half of all bullying can be prevented? 

Did you know that according to the National Mental Health and Education Center, direct, physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school, and declines in high school? 

Protecting Children from Sexual Offenders and Predators – Tips for Parents and Students: 
Florida has the strongest laws in the country to protect its youthful citizens from being abducted. However, parents and children themselves are the first line of defense. Talk to your children about following these rules: 
• Stay away from any unfamiliar person who is trying to trick you or force you to go with him or her. 
• Let your parents and other trusted adults know about any suspicious persons or situations. 
• Learn to describe people and vehicles. 
• Know where to run and how to forcibly resist capture. 
• Scream to be seen and to scare a stranger away. 
• Stay with a buddy, a group, or parents at the bus stop. 
• Report anyone hanging around or passing by regularly. 
• Accept a ride only from someone approved by the school. 
• Walk or bike only along a route that your parents or the school has determined is safe. 
• Lock the door and never tell callers you are home alone. 

For More Information: 
If you want more information on staying safe between home and school, check out these websites: 

Florida Department of Education School Transportation Office http://www.fldoe.org/transportation 

Safe Schools Office http://www.fldoe.org/safeschools 

Florida Department of Transportation Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Program http://www.dot.state.fl.us/safety/ped_bike/ped_bike.shtm 

Safe Routes to School Florida http://www.dot.state.fl.us/Safety/SRTS_files/SRTS.shtm 

Community Traffic Safety Teams (CTSTs) http://www.dot.state.fl.us/safety/CTST/ctst.shtm 

Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FDHSMV; licensing and teen drivers) www.hsmv.state.fl.us 

Safe Kids USA http://www.usa.safekids.org/ 

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children www.missingkids.com (1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678)) 

Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse http://www.missingchildrenalert.com (888-FL-MISSING (356-4774)) 

Bullying Prevention www.stopbullyingnow.com  

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk/ 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ 

Florida Association for Pupil Transportation http://www.faptflorida.org/

Florida School Bus Safety http://www.floridaschoolbussafety.gov/   

The Florida Department of Education and Florida’s school districts are committed to the safety of Florida’s students and schools. Students often walk, bike, or ride to and from school or the bus stop on their own or with parents, guardians, or others. This brochure offers important tips to parents, guardians, and students on how to stay safe, especially when the students are not with school officials who can help protect them. Please discuss these important tips with your children. 

Florida Department of Education 
School Transportation Management Office Safe Schools Office 
Revised July 2010 

This information is designed to assist school districts in complying with requirements to provide safety information to parents, guardians, and students 
(Rule 6A-3.0121, Florida Administrative Code).