Safety Tips and Information

Student safety is a top priority for the Central Valley School District. The following information is provided to parents as a guide for planning student transportation to and from school.

Walking and Bicycling Safety Tips

• Plan ahead for how your child will get to and from school in September
• Identify a walking or bicycling route for your child
  • Choose a route with the fewest busy roads and intersections
  • Select routes where there are sidewalks or paths separated from traffic, if possible; if there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic to be able to see cars coming and stay as far out of the roadway as possible
  • Know where the school crossing guards are located (for elementary students) and include these locations in your route planning
  • Do a trial run. Practice walking the route to and from school several times before the first day of school, including how to safely cross streets
  • Teach your child to follow the traffic signs and signals related to pedestrians and bicycles
  • Identify any safe houses or buildings (fire stations, etc) along the route as well as places to avoid such as vacant lots, construction areas and parks without many people
• Go over basic safety rules with children. Make sure your child memorizes their full address and phone number. Write down your work and cell phone on a card for your children to carry with them.
• Encourage children to walk with a friend or sibling or even "walking school buses" to gather groups of students together to travel to and from school.
• If your child will be riding a bicycle to and from school, always wear a helmet that is properly fitted and secured. Ride along with traffic (not facing traffic).  

Bus Stop Safety Tips

• Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early. Rushing often leads to carelessness.
• Wear bright colors or put reflective tape on backpacks to increase visibility.
• Take five giant steps back from the curb, which is in the driver's line of vision.
• Pack all belongings in appropriate bags so hands are free to grab the safety rail inside the bus.
• Make sure clothes and backpacks don't have hanging straps or strings that may become snagged in the vehicle.
• Wait until the bus stops completely before approaching the vehicle.
• Avoid pushing or roughhousing while waiting or boarding.
• When exiting the bus, children should cross in front of the bus, never behind it.
• When approaching and leaving the bus stop, remind children to be alert to traffic, looking left, right and left again before crossing the street.

Other Resources:

• www.walktoschool.org
• www.walkingschoolbus.org