Puerto Rico Schools

Bus Stop Safety and Responsibilities

Parents and/or sponsors of children in grades Pre K-6 (ages 3 to 12 years old) are required to meet their children at the bus stops. 

The bus driver will depart bus stops after the loading and unloading of passengers.

Parents must provide written authorization to the DDESS-PR Transportation Division when:

• requesting a change of bus
• requesting a change of bus stop
• delegating to another adult the responsibility of delivering or picking up the student.

Designated person delivering or picking up a student must present a photo ID to the bus driver.

Students residing in closed urbanizations will be picked up outside the urbanization near the guard, if possible.

Bus routes, stops, and loading zones will be evaluated for safety, and exceptions may be made for safety factors.

Students not at designated bus stops at scheduled departure will not be authorized to enter the bus at locations other bus stops.

Student Responsibilities:

Safety demands that students riding DDESS-PR School Buses cooperate and respect the authority of the school bus driver and security attendant. Violators of the directions or the authority of the bus driver or activity sponsors will be subject to the penalties of the Student Behavior Policy. Students must be aware that they are responsible for their actions and behavior.

Sponsor (Parent) Responsibilities:

You are responsible for your child(ren)’s safety and behavior.

Review the DDESS-Puerto Rico District bus rules with your children.

Ensure the emergency contact information on file with the dispatch office and the school is correct:

• duty telephone number
• home telephone number
• home street address

Have bus riders at the designated stop five to 10 minutes prior to the pick-up time given to you during registration.

Arrive at the bus stop on time to pick up your child, especially if he or she is too young to be left unattended.

Note:  If you cannot be at the stop when the bus arrives, the bus driver will not allow your child to offload unless a written authorization is on file designating your child is to be left without supervision. The bus driver will return the child to Fort Buchanan. Repeated failure to pick up small children at the stop will result in the loss of bus riding privilege.

You must provide written authorization to the DDESS-PR transportation division when requesting a change of bus or bus stop for your child.

Parents are responsible for any damage caused by your child to the school bus, in addition to any penalty imposed by the school handbook.

No adult is authorized to board a bus or ride during school runs or special activities. The exceptions are:

• another driver learning a new route
• a safety attendant
• a bus monitor duly authorized to ride the bus by the respective Commanding Officer or Agency Head.

The following are prohibited on our school buses: 

• animals (pets)
• hazardous materials/objects

Remind your child not to cross in front of the bus during loading, offloading, or at any moment.

Report any performance or safety concerns to the Transportation Supervisor , prior to alerting the superintendent.