Why?

  • Assist in ensuring students stay safe on the bus/ looking out for students in case a dangerous situation occurs
  • Students have the opportunity to be role models for their peers/serves as a leadership opportunity

Safety Patrol Mentors

  • Important that mentors participate in September training in order to answer safety patrol related questions
  • Host regular Patrol meetings to discuss challenges and reward students
  • Create a notice board to display shift schedules, upcoming meetings and events
  • Required to show a CAA refresher video (foot and bus have separate videos) to patrollers sometime in February or March

Selection of Safety Patrollers

  • Recruitment during the months of May and June for the following school year
  • Consider running a patroller information session or booth at school
  • Shadowing of current safety patrollers during May/June (use pins instead of vests to alert students they are “patrollers in training”, patrollers gain experience and decide if it’s for them
  • Senior patrollers present experience at the end of the year assembly
  • Helpful if patrollers are assigned to one of the first stop in the AM and one of the last stops in the PM
  • Ask for volunteers and reach out to other reliable students
  • Consider having a “lead” patroller of the three assigned to the bus
  • What makes an ideal patroller? Students that are responsible, polite and lead by example.

Safety Patrol Training in September

  • Patrollers must be fully trained in order to be covered by OSBIE

Bus Patrols (front, middle and rear patroller)

  • Encourage students to get to know all students riding the bus
  • Extra eyes and ears for the driver while the bus is in motion (driver’s first priority should be driving safely)
  • Assist students getting on/off bus
    • Assist younger students with steps
    • Checking underneath the bus
    • Ensure students don’t walk in front of the bus and/or anywhere within the danger zone
    • Ensure students are lining up in single file
  • Be aware that kindergarten students may fall asleep
  • Encourage students to get to know parents
  • Students know where the radio, first aid kit and fire extinguishers are
  • Reminders safety patrollers can give
    • Ensure aisles clear
    • Nothing is ever thrown out the window
    • Students remain seated
    • Keep volume in check ‐ if ignored inform the driver
  • Assigned positions of patrollers need to be adjusted if there are less than 3
  • Only the front patroller should talk to the driver

Walking Patrols (street, driveway and school pick up and drop off points)

  • Two students need to be at each crossing point
  • Patrollers keep students from entering roadways until it is safe
  • They are not to stop or direct traffic
  • Extra eyes and ears at crossing points and driveways
  • Always remain on sidewalks and never cross students
  • Remind classmates of rules

How Can You Keep Patrollers Motivated Throughout the Year?

  • Supervisors recognize top patrollers in their school
  • Surprise incentives or rewards for a patroller or team of patrollers (patroller of the month, or team of patrollers of the month/year)
  • Patroller membership card used to get free entry to school events (dances)
  • Safety messages said by the patrollers on the morning announcements
  • Thank you cards
  • CAA website has other low cost ideas through the school log in