Student safety is a priority for us and as part of our responsibility we need to ensure safe travel for our students to and from school.
Having recently ridden on both the Springston South and the Ellesmere Bus routes, I am concerned that students are at risk of harm when they are not being seen by other motorists.
Although many children get off the bus on their home side, it is still risky and when they are waiting in the morning, on very narrow roads in the half dark, it is vital that they are seen clearly.
It has always been a requirement to have a bus vest, however, over recent years, many children have got slack at wearing them or say they don't have one, and this needs tightening up.
As of the beginning of Term 3, every child travelling on the bus MUST WEAR A BUS VEST. this timeframe gives families time over the next few weeks and the holidays to get them purchased if necessary. They are usually available from The Warehouse or Mitre 10.
Today I handed out a free vest to the newer students, as we had some donated to us. Our older students will have had a free one when they started on the bus.
We will also have a Code of Conduct for each child and family to sign. This will remind students of what is expected when they are travelling on the bus and also how they should respond to our senior bus monitors. This will be a paper copy that will come home with your child to be discussed and then signed and returned to school.
Bus vests will not be required by all students when travelling to an event or sporting engagement.