Bus Information

SCHOOL BUS INFORMATION FOR BUS RIDERS AND FAMILIES

Gateway Elementary buses are housed at either of the following bus compounds: Buckingham or Leonard Compound

Buckingham Compound: 239-303-7400                                                   Leonard Compound – 239-303-5999

STUDENT BUS BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS:

Florida Statutes Section 1006.10 gives school bus driver the authority to monitor and control the behavior of the students anytime they are being transported to and from school or school functions.

In the interest of students’ safety, the transportation department has developed five rules that apply to all students when they are transported on a school bus. These rules are posted in all of the School District of Lee County buses.

  1. The driver is in full charge of the bus and the students must obey the driver.
  2. Students shall keep assigned seats at all times with arms and heads inside the bus.
  3. Eating, drinking or chewing gum will not be allowed on the schools bus.
  4. Anything that interferes with students’ safety will not be permitted.
  5. Use of personal electronic devices is allowed when audible to individual listeners.

Riding the bus is a privilege. A student who violates these rules will be reported to the school principal who has the authority to suspend that student from bus transportation. A bus suspension does not mean that a student is suspended from attending school. When a student is serving a bus suspension, they are still required to attend school.

Trespassing on School Buses

Parents and other members of the public are not permitted to board school buses, or to cause delays in the operation of the bus. Under Florida law, an act which interrupts the orderly conduct of a school activity is a criminal offense. Parents are asked to contact their child’s school with any questions or concern pertaining to the transportation of their child.

Parents/Guardians Responsibility at Bus Stop

Per School Board Policy 7.02(1)(a), The responsibility of the School Board of Lee County shall begin when students enter the school bus and end when the student departs the school bus. Parents/guardians are responsible for getting students to and from designated bus stops safely, and for their conduct and safety while waiting for the bus.

Returning Needs to Be Met Students to Schools - If students are ‘Needs to Be Met’ or an ESE student with an IEP stating they are to be met by a parent or guardian at their assigned bus stop and there is no one at the stop upon arrival of the bus, those students will be returned to their prospective schools.

Kindergarten and First Grade Students - The School District of Lee County’s Transportation Services allows parents or guardians of kindergarten and first grade students to request an adult (parent/guardian) be present when their child is dropped off by the school bus in the afternoon. Parents/Guardians must complete the Kindergarten and 1st Grade Needs to Be Met Notification form and submit the form to their child’s school. The schools are responsible for ensuring parents are notified of the effective date.

Special Needs Students - Not all ESE students need to be met at their afternoon bus stops. This determination is made by the IEP committee at the individual schools. ESE students who need to be met by a parent/guardian will need to have that accommodation documented on a Transportation Services form.

 

One Bus and One Bus Stop per student

Per school board policy 7.02 (2), students shall enter and exit the schools bus at the stop designated by the Board and may not enter or exit the bus at any other stop except in the case of an emergency or as approved in advance by the school principal. Requests to allow students to enter or exit at a stop other than their own, must be submitted in writing by the students parent/ guardians to the assigned school. Upon approval by the principal, a school official (e.g. teacher on bus duty) must give a bus pass indicating this approved change to the bus operator.

Per School Board policy 7.02(3), parent/ guardian requests for students to ride a bus other than the one serving their place of residence must be submitted to their assigned school and may be approved under the following conditions:

  1. The request is for permanent, everyday basis.
  2.  There is established route and stop existence that shall fulfil the request.
  3. The parent/guardian understands that requests shall be granted on a space available basis and permission may be revoked at a later date.

Requests for this alternate school transportation must be submitted in writing to the school’s principal for approval.

 

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Dear Families,

 

Would you like to know how far away your child’s bus is from his or her stop? The School District of Lee County has an app for that!

 

Stop wondering where the bus is with the The WheresTheBusTM parent app.

 

Only parents and guardians have access to this system, and the app does not show routes, only how far away the bus is from your stop.

 

You can access the program from any internet enable device (smartphone, tablet, PC, iPod) and the app is available in Apple iOS and Android.

 

Signing up is free, simple, and takes less than 5 minutes.

 

  1. Go to www.WheresTheBus.com.
  2. On the home page, inside the Parents section on the left, click on the “Set up account” button.
  3. When prompted, please select Lee County School District.
  4. Enter parent and student information (you will need your student’s ID number).

 

Once your information is validated, you will receive an e-mail with instructions and download information.

 

We are excited to bring you a new tool to make your mornings and afternoons a little less stressful.

 

Sincerely,

 

Robert L. Codie

Executive Director of Transportation Services