Covid School Bus Scenario

[Pink Partridge]

Today’s newspaper had a local school district’s plan to return to school.

One thing that stood out is that there will be bus monitors that will be screening the temperatures of each student getting on the bus. What happens if a student has a temp and a parent is not there? Young ones in particular. Does the bus monitor just turn a 2nd grader away and the bus move on to next stop? Will a phone call have to be made to parents before bus departs? Will the bus have to wait to witness the child leaving the bus stop with an adult?

I always waited to see the bus pull out, but so many children are dropped off at the bus stop and parent drives away. Or they walk to the bus stop all alone.

 

[gwynne]

Today’s newspaper had a local school district’s plan to return to school.

One thing that stood out is that there will be bus monitors that will be screening the temperatures of each student getting on the bus. What happens if a student has a temp and a parent is not there? Young ones in particular. Does the bus monitor just turn a 2nd grader away and the bus move on to next stop? Will a phone call have to be made to parents before bus departs? Will the bus have to wait to witness the child leaving the bus stop with an adult?

I always waited to see the bus pull out, but so many children are dropped off at the bus stop and parent drives away. Or they walk to the bus stop all alone.

You can call your district and ask.
I think many districts will be thinking through scenarios and solutions.

 

[amylevan]

Our neighboring districts’ solution is that children with a fever will be quarantined in the first 2 rows of the bus, driven the rest of the way to school where they will immediately be taken to the nurse to call the parents to come pick them up.

 

[Carol_]

Today’s newspaper had a local school district’s plan to return to school.

One thing that stood out is that there will be bus monitors that will be screening the temperatures of each student getting on the bus. What happens if a student has a temp and a parent is not there? Young ones in particular. Does the bus monitor just turn a 2nd grader away and the bus move on to next stop? Will a phone call have to be made to parents before bus departs? Will the bus have to wait to witness the child leaving the bus stop with an adult?

I always waited to see the bus pull out, but so many children are dropped off at the bus stop and parent drives away. Or they walk to the bus stop all alone.

When I was in kindergarten, I missed my bus to aftercare because I was staring at another little kid’s freckles. Distinct memory. Anyway, the school asked me if I knew how to walk home. I said, “I guess so.” And with that, I was released onto the streets to walk by myself back home in the middle of the day with the assumption that my door would be unlocked and I would not burn down my house before my parents came home.
That was a huge assumption.
Everything was fine. But wow times have changed.

 

[Pink Partridge]

Our neighboring districts’ solution is that children with a fever will be quarantined in the first 2 rows of the bus, driven the rest of the way to school where they will immediately be taken to the nurse to call the parents to come pick them up.

This seems like a reasonable plan. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Pink Partridge]

When I was in kindergarten, I missed my bus to aftercare because I was staring at another little kid’s freckles. Distinct memory. Anyway, the school asked me if I knew how to walk home. I said, “I guess so.” And with that, I was released onto the streets to walk by myself back home in the middle of the day with the assumption that my door would be unlocked and I would not burn down my house before my parents came home.
That was a huge assumption.
Everything was fine. But wow times have changed.

Glad you didn't burn your house down. Lol. But, yes. I can't see a child be sent off to fend for themselves in 2020.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Our neighboring districts’ solution is that children with a fever will be quarantined in the first 2 rows of the bus, driven the rest of the way to school where they will immediately be taken to the nurse to call the parents to come pick them up.

And then the bus will be disinfected before resuming pick ups?

I suppose they could start requiring that an adult be present at a bus stop for each child, just in case.

 

[disneychrista]

Our neighboring districts’ solution is that children with a fever will be quarantined in the first 2 rows of the bus, driven the rest of the way to school where they will immediately be taken to the nurse to call the parents to come pick them up.

And potentially infect everyone else on the bus. I know they are making the best of a not so good situation but still doesn't seem like the perfect solution.

 

[Pink Partridge]

Also wondering how the "one class at a time in the hallway" in a "single file" while "social distancing" is going to work for mandatory fire drills?

So much of this has me happy that I no longer have young children.

 

[leebee]

At least they are screening before allowing kids on the bus. One local K-8 school is bending over backwards to try to reduce exposure... masks, small class sizes, cohorts, one-way halls, no cafeteria or gym, recess in blocked off areas, etc... but on the bus? Nothing, they've said it's impossible to do anything about the buses. Why go to all this bother all day long if you are just going to throw them into a teeming mass of germs at the end of the day?

 

[fab1976]

There’s rumors our buses may not run at all here. Ours have multiple routes each morning and afternoon between several different schools. To clean the bus between each route would be next to impossible. Not sure what their solution is for those who NEED the bus, they are still working on a return to school plan here, we go back September 8th.

 

[brockash]

I think some ppl seem to be under the impression that there's some magical way (and money) to make it so there is next to 0 risk. That's just not possible, unless you and everyone in your household stays in your house, never going out until this is all over.

Schools are going to be a risk. Our district just sent out our reopening plans and for bussing and lunch they've basically said they're going to try to distance as much as they can, but don't expect 6 ft. between kids. The kids are not getting their temps taken prior to entry to the bus or school,nor is staff, although bus drivers are. I can't imagine any public school district who will be able to disinfect every bus between routes, nor have all kids 6 ft. apart.

The only thing realistic ANYWHERE is to try to minimize risk, but there most definitely will still be risks...with everything.

 

[Flight]

I am going to buy stock shares in the home schooling industry since there are so many obstacles to the public/private sector of K - 12 attendance.

 

[gwynne]

I am going to buy stock shares in the home schooling industry since there are so many obstacles to the public/private sector of K - 12 attendance.

If parents can make home schooling work many will. If they really don't have that option, I think they may choose to drop off and pick up themselves.

 

[gotomu212]

The districts in my metro won’t be running buses this year. The percentage of kids on buses was already low since it only applied to kids 1.5 miles or more from school and our schools are placed to minimize distances. Then they conducted surveys and 30% of the families will be choosing the online learning option. Between the decreased onsite population and the costs for bus cleanings, they scrapped buses.

 

[Feralpeg]

Children in this area will simply have to wear masks on the bus. No social distancing. No temperature checks.

 

[martikus]

Ours is asking any parent who can drive kids to do so in hopes of reducing those who need bus. Middle school and high school going a/b days which also reduces bus riders. They are disinfecting bus before and after.

For us, if you have a temp you don’t get on bus. Hopefully that means those with young kids are waiting with them. Most of our kids are able to walk home from bus by about 2nd grade so prob not too big an issue if sent back.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Taking temps before the kids enter the bus is a good start, but the temp only tells a small part of the story. This is part of my concern with reopening schools and going back to my classroom job. Kids tend to be asymptomatic more often than adults. And with anyone who gets exposed, there's a period of time before symptoms appear and before testing positive. You might detect a fever in one or two kids a week, but have 30 more who are spreading the virus without anyone knowing. A bus is a relatively small space and one kid or adult could infect the entire bus in a day or two. It's scary.

 

[tvguy]

Won't be an issue here. Other than Special Needs students, schools dropped bus service 20 years ago.

 

[jormom1030]

Taking temps before the kids enter the bus is a good start, but the temp only tells a small part of the story. This is part of my concern with reopening schools and going back to my classroom job. Kids tend to be asymptomatic more often than adults. And with anyone who gets exposed, there's a period of time before symptoms appear and before testing positive. You might detect a fever in one or two kids a week, but have 30 more who are spreading the virus without anyone knowing. A bus is a relatively small space and one kid or adult could infect the entire bus in a day or two. It's scary.

Where is your source for this? That is not what I was finding when I searched.