Introducing Tag the Bag Kindergarten ID program
Kindergarten students must be met at their bus stop every day!
This long-standing protocol, agreed upon by our four member school boards, helps to keep our youngest students safe, whether rural or urban, an only child or part of a brood, going home or attending child care. To complement this protocol, the NPSSTS presents Tag the Bag, a program that makes it easier for all student transportation drivers to recognize students who must be met by an adult.
All Kindergarten families are receiving a plastic tag (like those for luggage) with a brightly coloured card inside. Parents/guardians choose what information to write on the card (we suggest the name of the student's school, at least) and then clip it on their child's backpack. The bright colour of the card quickly alerts drivers to students who cannot disembark without an adult to meet them. It also helps school staff spot young students who need a replacement tag before they get on the bus and identifies students who may need assistance from a bus patroller, monitor, or transfer point commissionaire.
If there is no one to meet a Kindergarten student, they will be returned to school. Drivers are not to wait past the scheduled drop-off time, but contact their dispatch and advise whether they are returning to the school immediately or at the end of their regular run, depending on where the bus is at the time.