Tips for a Safe Ride:
School buses are the safest way for students to travel. Nearly two-thirds of school bus-related fatalities of school-age children occur outside of the school bus. Children need to do their part to stay safe both in and around school buses. The American School Bus Council offers the following tips.

At the Bus Stop:

• Arrive early at the bus stop – at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive; we recommend standing 10-15 feet (7 giant steps) away from the curb while waiting for the bus;
• Parents, please supervise young children; Around the Bus
• Cross in front of the bus – at least 10 feet (or five giant steps) – and make eye contact with the driver before crossing; Always check that traffic has stopped before moving; Never walk behind the bus; If you drop something near the bus, do not pick it up; tell the bus driver instead

Getting On/Off the Bus:

• Wait until the bus has stopped and the door opens before approaching the bus or standing up on the bus; Use the handrail; Secure any loose or hanging objects like straps on a backpack or drawstrings on a hood

The Charles "Chuck" Poland Jr. Act, signed into law on May 31, 2013, classifies trespassing on a school bus as a Class "A" misdemeanor in Alabama. Named in honor of a heroic bus driver, Chuck Poland, who sacrificed his life to protect students, this law imposes penalties, including potential jail time, for unauthorized entry onto school buses and aims to enhance the safety of students and bus drivers by addressing the issue of trespassing on Alabama school buses. A person commits the crime of trespass on a school bus in the first degree if they are found guilty of any of the following:

• Intentionally demolishing, destroying, defacing, injuring, burning, or damaging any public school bus.
• Entering a public school bus while the door is open to load or unload students without lawful purpose while at a railroad grade crossing or after being forbidden from doing so by the bus driver in charge of the bus or an authorized school official.
• As an occupant of a public school bus, they refuse to leave the bus after the bus driver is in charge of the bus or an authorized school official demands that they do so.
  Intentionally stopping, impeding, delaying, or detaining any school bus from being operated for public school purposes with the intent of committing a crime.

Click here for the full law provided by alabamaachieves.org.

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