Vent Not happy with letter sent home with son regarding school bus safety...

lovinwaves · Feb 5, 2009

This is a public school. This is for the children that ride to and from the early education center via school bus. Every seat on the bus has a harness like this:

Dear Parent(s):

This letter is to remind you that all ECSE students are to be safely and completely buckled into the harness on the bus.

This includes:

Adjusting the straps that go around the child's arms by pulling on the loop typically found in the right hand corner of the seat. By pulling this loop and pulling the straps that go around the child's arms, this releases the straps making additional room to get the child's arms in the straps.

With his/her coat ON, the Child puts his/her arms through the arm straps. If the straps are adjusted appropriately, nearly all children will fit safely and securely with their coats on.

Once the Child's arms are through the straps, the black buckle should be pushed together and should lie across the child's chest.

Next the buckle that goes between the child's legs should be securely buckled.

Once all of the buckles are completely fastened the loop at the top right corner of the seat can be pulled to make the straps tighter ensuring the child is securely in the harness.

If the straps are too tight to release the buckles when getting the child out of the harness, pull the loop at the top right hand corner while pulling the arm straps to loosen the straps. This will make it easier to get the child out of the harness.

It is EXTREMELY important that your child is wearing his/her coat(when it is cold outside) while in the harness and riding the bus. We do want to alarm you, rather inform you why this is important. If the bus is in an accident or breaks down during its trip to/from school, children will likely have to sit on the bus waiting for another bus to arrive. Depending on how long that could take, children will likely be cold.

Please make sure that anyone who may be responsible for buckling your child into the hanress on the bus is aware of this information. This includes, parents, grandparents, neighbors, daycare workers, etc..

We are partners with you to ensure your child's safety as well as his/her education. We thank you for your attention in this matter. If you have any questions regarding this matter please feel free to contact us or Xxx Bus Company at XXX-XXXX.

Pixels · Feb 5, 2009

I understand why they want the children to have their coats on. (I agree, it's not best practice.) Why don't you send them info about unzipping the coat, buckling, then zipping the coat OVER the harness? You could even phrase it as an additional safety measure, because the children wouldn't be able to get at the buckles to undo them anywhere near as easily.

ginny4 · Feb 5, 2009

oh the coat issue......what a pain.....i would if you can possibly do so is to pack in the child's backpack an extra layer jacket that can be used in an emergency on bus OR when the child get soff the bus to go home & needs the extra layer for the cold weather.
.

emandbri · Feb 5, 2009

Oh that is annoying. Do you strap him in on the bus? What have you been doing with his coat?

fyrfightermomma · Feb 5, 2009

I'd go with the coat trick. I think they'd be more receptive to that than not wearing a jacket or packing a thicker jacket. That requires extra work and them taking everyone out of harnesses.

With the coat trick, it really doesn't take much extra time. They'd get what they want, you'd get what you want. Perfect happy medium!

Who buckles the kids? Parents or bus driver?

lovinwaves · Feb 5, 2009

Here is the deal...

The Teacher and most of the other people that work at the school KNOW I am a CPST, and have extra training on school bus safety.

When C first started I was taking his coat off of him, then buckling him in. The teacher and 2 paras confronted me one day I was picking him up and told me I couldn't do that and it wasn't safe. They said they understood MY concerns, but that they couldn't taking the risk of him getting cold in the event of a breakdown where he woud be sitting on the bus for possibly a long period of time in really cold temperatures. I tried to explain to them about putting the coat on backwards around his arms, or me putting a lightweight blanket in his bag in case of emergency but they were very disinterested.

My husband and I made a decision not to push the issue anymore, and my son rides to school with his coat on in a harness.

lovinwaves · Feb 5, 2009

Is there a "coat trick" thread that someone would like to link me?

NVMBR02 · Feb 5, 2009

Here is the link

I have done this a few times when it is really cold out and it does help.

brittany741 · Feb 5, 2009

God forbid my dead child get cold any faster :thumbsdown:

Evolily · Feb 5, 2009

My mom was doing the "car line" thing with my baby brother the other day (he is in public preschool). The complained about him not having his coat on in his car seat and then about her getting out to buckle him up

. If and when I ever drive him there I am parking and walking. I am somewhat shocked they didn't ask why he wasn't in a booster. His bus service just started- they don't have him harnessed since he's "mature enough not to get up".

skiersnowboarder3 · Feb 5, 2009

I put one of my students in his harness in the afternoon. Most of the time the bus attendants do it but she and the bus driver have to get my wheelchair student on the bus so it's easier for me to buckle him in. He has a safeguard star seat and he has a chest strap so the coat trick is not possible. I do make sure that the harness is as tight as possible around his coat. I did get a comment from one of the middle school kids on the bus that the bus attendant must not have been able to buckle him the day before when I was absent. I just pretended I didn't hear her. I was waiting for the bus aide to confront me but she never did.

I figure buses are so safe already that the little bit of slack from a coat isn't going to harm them severely. Honestly, the harness is still tighter with the coat on than most people make the harness without a coat on!

BW1426 · Feb 5, 2009

You're lucky that you live where you do, I think this is more workable that if you lived in the way North as it's been huddling around -15 here :gag:

How cold does it actually get around you? Obermeyer makes great jackets (I think Spyder does too) they're warm and are lined with fleece and are waterproof and windproof, but their super thin. The LLBean warmup jackets are plenty warm for 40ish degree weather imo. I'd put him in a jacket like that and not worry about it. The coat trick is great, but it does take more time for them to get the kids in and out of the harness and while it's not a lot of time it is if they did that with all kids, KWIM?

Also, I have been in a bus accident. I think I was in first grade. The bus driver ran head on into an telephone pole in a snowstorm. The bus got really, really cold. They first thing they have to do in an accident is check each child for injuries. One of the high schoolers did this in our case, but I'm sure an aide would have to do it in your case. My mom came to pick me up as she heard something had happened, but the other kids were stuck on the bus for close to 2 hours

Additionally, the forces were very different, I've been in a light rear end that jolted me more than hitting this telephone pole as like 25 miles/hour did. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I just don't think having the harness perfectly tight is as necessary on a bus as it is in a vehicle.

emandbri · Feb 5, 2009

Benjamin wears a fleece jacket most of the time but I've been doing the coat trick if it is 20 or below. It is a pain because he can do it himself in the fleece jacket but with the coat trick I have to do it for him. He just can't get the straps on with the coat on even though it isn't all that thick, it is a lands end squall.

lovinwaves · Feb 5, 2009

BW1426 said:
You're lucky that you live where you do, I think this is more workable that if you lived in the way North as it's been huddling around -15 here :gag:

How cold does it actually get around you?

We have had a few mornings the past few months with -20 windchill temps. Two mornings ago it was 5 degrees when I put him on the bus.

For the most part it is around 20 degrees in the winter mornings. I'm totally guessing here

HEVY · Feb 5, 2009

You could always get a car seat poncho :shrug-shoulders: Or just do the coat trick.

BW1426 · Feb 5, 2009

lovinwaves said:
We have had a few mornings the past few months with -20 windchill temps. Two mornings ago it was 5 degrees when I put him on the bus.

For the most part it is around 20 degrees in the winter mornings. I'm totally guessing here

Holy smokes. I guess I just didn't expect it would be as cold down there.

Do they take the kids outside to play when it's this cold?

bobandjess99 · Feb 5, 2009

I see it both ways....I too have been on a wrecked school bus in northern Mi, in dangerous windchill,for over 2 hours....I'm not sure how much i would push it..??

i know I annoy the car line at dd's school, because she wears a fleece or poly jacket and then when we get to school, she unbuckles her harnessed seat, which sometimes takes a second ( our nauti buckle is becoming obstinate) , has to put her "outside" coat on, grab her bag, and go, versus unbuckling her booster in which she is wearing a bulky coat and just going.

brightredmtn · Feb 6, 2009

Am I the only one who noticed this in the note?

We DO want to alarm you, rather inform you why this is important.

Loveinwaves OMG your son is sooooooooo cute! What is it about glasses on a kid that is so freakin cute?!?

Vent Not happy with letter sent home with son regarding school bus safety...

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