Immediate Release – (August 27, 2021)
Blood Tribe School Bus Co Op announces School Bus COVID-19 Policies and Procedures for 2021/2022 school year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• All off-reserve schools will begin on Tuesday August 31, 2021.
• K.B.E. schools -KHS, TMS, AES, SES will start school on September 7, 2021.
• New students please call the Bus Co-op 403-737-2505 for bus route supervisor.
• K.B.E students will travel in their assigned cohorts for the school they are attending.
• All off-reserve students will travel each day Monday to Friday.
• K4 – K5 student enrollment will be announced.
Covid-19 Practices and Protocol for School Bus Transportation
Student Re-entry for School Year 2021 – 2022
Oki Blood Tribe Parents, Grandparents, Guardians and Students:
Student Protocol
- Parents please do a COVID-19 Child Assessment each day before sending child/children on the bus. If you notice any COVID-19 symptoms, please do not send your child/children on the bus.
- Students will have their temperature taken before they board the bus, hand sanitizing is available upon boarding the bus before they take their assigned seat.
- Grades 4 – 12 will be required to wear the N95 masks or that of an equivalent PPE. The Ride Along will provide the safety mask if students do not have their own.
- Students will stay seated to and from school in their assigned seats. One student will occupy a seat unless they are from the same household then they will be assigned to sit together.
- Absolutely no eating on the buses, plastic disposable bottles will be allowed for water etc.
- Should a student become ill during the school hours, that student will need to be picked up by their parents or caregiver and will not be permitted to ride the bus until consent is received by Blood Tribe Department of Health or Alberta Health Services.
- All students will be required to give the bus driver three emergency contact numbers in case of an emergency.
- Students will be sent home with a copy of the new Practice and Protocols for parents and/or guardians.
Bus Drivers and Ride Along Safety Assistants Protocol
- Bus Drivers and Ride Along Safety Assistants will do a daily self-check before entering the bus in the morning. If they appear to have symptoms, they will not attempt to drive or board the bus.
- If symptoms appear the Bus Driver/Ride Along Safety Assistant will contact their supervisor and have a backup Driver/Ride Along ready to take the route.
- Bus Driver/Ride Along Safety Assistant will not be permitted on the bus if they have been in contact with positive cases (family members etc.) Bus Driver/Ride Along Safety Assistant will also need to be tested and cannot return back to work without a letter from BTHD/AHS.
- Bus Driver/Ride Along Safety Assistant will have a COVID-19 test done every 2-3 weeks to ensure their health and safety as well as the safety of the students.
- Buses will be sanitized after every daily drop off depending on how many student pickups there are each day.
- Bus Driver/Ride Along Safety Assistant will log and document how many times their unit was sanitized between runs and will hand in their logs to their supervisor weekly. Supervisors will inspect and hand logs and documents to the Safety Officer on a weekly basis.
- The sanitization process will become part of Pre/Post trip daily inspections.
- Bus Driver/Ride Along Safety Assistant must wear the proper PPE equipment when transporting the students, N95 masks or equivalent and or face shields or safety glasses.
- Social distancing will be enforced on the buses at all times, no student shall sit directly behind the driver, but can sit directly to the right of the driver in the number 2 seat, then staggering students on seats back and forth leading to the rear of the bus.
- Ride Along Safety Assistants will take the temperature of the students and if temperature is found above the normal level they will not be allowed on the bus as well as any siblings in the household.
- Ride Along Safety Assistants will spray the student’s hands with hand sanitizer before the student takes a seat.
Thank you for taking the necessary precautions to keep our Bus Drivers, Ride Along Safety Assistants and Students safe during the bus ride to and from school each day!
Bus Co-op Safety Management, Management & Board of Director
