Bulloch County Schools resumed bus travel on some dirt roads starting Wednesday morning, August 28.
While Bulloch County Public Works is still unable to assure that all dirt roads are safe, on Friday, Aug. 23, they did give the school district the go ahead to let bus drivers start assessing some dirt road routes for any lingering safety issues.
“There are still some roads that are not passable or safe for our school buses,” said Julie Chance, Ed.D., director of transportation for Bulloch County Schools. “Our drivers have worked very hard with our lead drivers over the past four days to assess hundreds of miles of roads to provide valuable information that has allowed us to update our alternate transportation plan.”
Drivers began contacting families on Tuesday, Aug. 27, to update them about their bus stop’s status.
“Please understand that It will be important to keep with the alternate routes for roads that are not deemed passable for safe bus travel,” Chance added. “It’s ultimately about keeping drivers and students safe, and that must come first.”
Parent Transportation Resources on Website
Please remember that drivers are not authorized to change bus stops. There are multiple parent resource links on the school district’s Transportation webpage (www.bullochschools.org/bus) that can assist you. You may use its Transportation Help Desk if you need help or have questions. Use the Find My Bus Stop link to locate the nearest bus stop to you. Use the Transportation Request Form to request a new bus stop, and download the Edulog Parent Portal mobile application to receive messages and important information about your child’s bus services. If you are using an alternate bus stop, have recently moved, or have recently requested a bus stop change, the mobile app may not yet reflect accurate route data until the changes are updated into the system; however, it is useful in the interim for general transportation messages.
The school district has been under a temporary alternate transportation plan since Aug. 12, when the system reopened after being closed for five days due to severe weather, extensive flooding, and substantial damage to roadways from Tropical Storm Debby. The plan was put in place after ongoing conversations and collaboration with the Bulloch County Emergency Management Agency/Public Safety and Bulloch County Public Works, who could not assure the school district that dirt roads were safe for bus travel. The school district’s transportation personnel worked to create alternate bus stops to help schools reopen.
Addy’s Law
The school district also wants to inform parents and the community about Georgia’s new Addy’s Law and how it affects school bus transportation this school year.
Addy's Law took effect July 1. Motorists who are convicted of illegally passing a school bus will now be fined at least $1,000 and be imprisoned for up to one year. Be alert and take time to remind young drivers of the law.
Each year local bus drivers witness multiple illegal passing incidents. It’s important to remember that stop means stop when you see a bus with its flashing lights on and its stop sign extended. According to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation, in a one-day voluntary count submitted by bus drivers in Georgia, approximately 9,189 motorists in the state illegally passed a stopped school bus.
The new law also requires school districts to rework their bus stops so that no students have to cross any roadways that have a speed limit of more than 40 mph to get to their stop. This will make some bus stops look different to families.
“Sometimes a bus will now have to pass your stop and turn around in order to pick your child up on the door side of the bus,” said Chance.
Bulloch County Schools thanks families for their support of its drivers as each of these changes take effect.
