Newsletters 2013-14 Focus newsletter, [1] fall | Page 18

A N O K A

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H E N N E P I N

S C H O O L

D I S T R I C T

Hop aboard: School buses are ready to roll
Important school bus tips from the Transportation Department

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afety is our first priority
Anoka-Hennepin’s transportation system
is nationally recognized as a leader in the
industry with innovative computer solutions for bus
routing and discipline issues. The safety record of our
fleet is well above the national average thanks to dedicated, well-trained bus drivers, paraprofessionals,
crossing guards, and traffic control staff. Our mission
is to provide safe and efficient transportation to the
students of Anoka-Hennepin schools.
School bus safety meetings
Parents are welcome to attend school bus safety
meetings. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of
each month of the school year in the boardroom at
the Educational Service Center, 2727 N. Ferry St., in
Anoka. School staff, parents, bus drivers, local traffic
experts, and transportation staff meet regularly to
discuss safety issues and concerns and to set policies
and procedures.
Bus information cards
Bus cards are required to ride the bus and are
mailed to homes approximately one week before
school starts. The information on the bus pass will
include your child’s name, address, and number of
the bus route, bus stop location, and bus arrival time.
Please make sure your child brings this pass every
day. If you don’t receive your bus pass in the mail,
check with your school office. Schools will also have
access to bus information.
Bus information available online
Student bus information is also available online at
A-HConnect, www.anoka.k12.mn.us/ahconnect. Each
family will have an A-HConnect account established
for them at the beginning of the year. Login information will be mailed before school starts. If you do not
receive your information or have questions, call the
A-HConnect help line at 763-506-HELP (4357).
Bus stops
There are more than 17,000 bus stops in the
Anoka-Hennepin School District. If everyone had a
bus stop at his or her home, the number of stops
would more than double and the number of school
buses we use would dramatically increase. Bus stops
are designed to be collector points for the neighborhood and safely serve the students in your area, as
well as any students who move in during the course
of the school year. Why? Two primary reasons:
■ The motoring public is used to seeing school
buses and anticipates they will slow down and
stop at intersections, so they adjust for that
practice and are more cautious. The car
behind, or approaching the school bus does not
anticipate it will stop in the middle of the
block. When the bus driver slows mid-block,
many motorists try to pass the bus, putting students in serious danger.
■ Most primary-age student fatalities in the
metro area that occurred at the bus stop happened when the bus stopped at the student’s
house in the middle of the block. In reviewing
the reports, many times the student saw mom
or dad, the family dog, a favorite toy, and ran
to it with no regard to traffic around the bus or
the “danger zone” that surrounds the school
bus. Experts have commented that children
have a sense of security when they recognize
family or familiar objects and all the training
on safely regarding the school bus is forgotten.
Consequently, students will be asked to walk to the
corner for the bus stop. Stops will be located at the
nearest corner to your home v