Created:  
Modified:  15 June 2026
Approved: 14 October 2026

Transportation:

Operations:
Emergencies

Emergency evacuation drills—

The Board recognizes that there is an urgent need, due to the increased number of students being transported and the ever-increasing number of accidents on the highways, to instruct students on how to properly vacate a school bus in case of an emergency. Without training, students may block the emergency door by all trying to exit at the same time. There is also a danger when students jump from the rear emergency door exit. To avoid these situations, schools should organize and conduct emergency exit drills for all students who ride the school bus.

In conducting school bus evacuation drills, school officials should consider and observe the guidelines and procedures set forth in the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, “Instructions for Conducting Emergency Exit Drills.”

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures Appendix D p. 454-457 (May2025)

Emergency procedures—

The Board will develop an emergency plan consistent with the following guidelines, in consultation with the Student Transportation Director and the personnel of those agencies that will render service during emergencies. In developing this plan, the Board may refer to “Emergency and Rescue Procedures: A Guideline Manual for School Bus Involvement,” a publication developed by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. Copies of the plan should be carried in each bus. The plan will instruct the District Student Transportation Director, school administrators, teachers, drivers, maintenance and service personnel, students and others of the procedures to be followed in the event of:

1. Crashes. The plan should spell out the following:
   1. When and how to evacuate and control students.
   2. How to evaluate the need for medical assistance.
   3. How to get help from the police, fire department and the garage.
   4. How to collect and record data essential to the preparation of the required crash reports. An operational plan to provide two-way communication with parents and/or guardians is imperative.
   5. How to prevent further accidents.
   6. Talking points regarding protocol of dissemination of information while at the crash site (including communication with the media etc.).
2. Sudden Disability of Driver. The plan should establish procedures for handling situations resulting in the fatal injury or disability of the bus driver. The District should communicate these procedures to the appropriate persons. A list that includes the name of the bus operator, emergency telephone numbers, names of students assigned to the bus and any special needs of students should be in the bus.
3. Bus breakdown. The plan should cover the procedure for:
   1. Securing the bus.
   2. Maintaining control of passengers and accounting for passengers (head count).
   3. Diagnosing the cause(s) of bus breakdowns and communicating with base and vehicle maintenance.
   4. Notifying school officials and parents.
   5. Recovering the disabled school bus.
   6. Providing replacement transportation for passengers.
4. Inclement weather conditions. The emergency plan should provide procedures for determining:
   1. When schools are to be closed, delayed, or require early dismissal.
   2. Who is to make such decisions.
   3. How decisions are to be relayed to parents, students, school officials and staff (including teachers and cafeteria managers), drivers, contractors, maintenance and service personnel, the news media and others.
   4. How to react to such natural phenomena as floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc.
5. Other types of emergency situations. The emergency plan should cover such conditions and events as:
   1. Defense/disaster drills.
   2. Strikes or other job action by school staff, teachers, drivers or contractors.
   3. Road or bridge washouts and landslides that might block school bus routes.
   4. Bus hijacking.
   5. Weapons or suspected explosives on board or at bus stops.
   6. Unauthorized boarding.
   7. Student health emergencies.
   8. Student fights.
   9. Suspicious persons and/or vehicles.
   10. Terrorist planning or incident.

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures p. 192-194 (May2025)