Transportation Office - Pocantico Hills Central School

POCANTICO HILLS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

In the event that we are forced to close or delay the opening of the district or school you will receive a notification explaining the situation and providing specific guidance.

School/District Delays and Closures:

In general, emergency notifications are categorized into two main areas: delays and closures.

Delays:

When a school is delayed this will impact both the start of school and associated transportation times. For example, if there is a 2-hour delay, school will start 2 hours later than normal. Additionally, for students that receive transportation services either to Pocantico or other schools, your pick-up time will be impacted by 2 hours. Students who would normally be picked up at 7:00am would now be picked up at 9:00am, etc.

Closures:

When the Pocantico Hills Central School DISTRICT is closed, all activities, including all transportation services are cancelled.

If there is an event that is localized, such as a power outage on our campus, school will be closed, but transportation services to partner schools might still occur. When this happens, you will receive specific information regarding pick-up and drop-off times directly from Pocantico.

Partner schools will communicate directly with impacted families if they are delayed or closed.

How Will You Receive The Message?

When an emergency occurs, you will be notified of the situation through a variety of communication channels. You will receive an automated call, as well as an e-mail, directly from the school, and the information will be posted on our website. Additionally, if you have opted to receive text messages and/or if you have the Pocantico Hills app, you will receive the notification through those channels as well. District specific weather-related closing information is also shared with News 12 Westchester, WABC-tv7, the Patch, WHUD 100.7. and Instagram: “superintendent.calkins” forgive the shameless promotionJ.

When Will Closing Information Be Disseminated?

This information will be communicated to families in as timely a fashion as possible. Sometimes it may be feasible to notify you the night before the event takes place. Other times you will receive notifications in the morning. We will try to communicate this information to you between 5:30am and 6:00am.

Other Emergency Situations:

We will also utilize the aforementioned communication methodologies to communicate other emergency information to you. A good example of this would be if we were forced to close school and send our students home early.

SCHOOL BUS SAFETY RULES & STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES DURING COVID-19

In order to maintain the safest possible transportation for all Pocantico students we are implementing the following additional safety rules:

Parents, please discuss these rules with your children.

All families must assure their child is ready to ride before arriving at the bus stop. Make sure your child is feeling well and wearing a face mask. Please remember that you must complete the daily health declaration for your children before the start of school each day. It can be found at the top of the school homepage, as well as on the Pocantico Hills app.
Students should be at their stops 5 minutes before their scheduled time and maintain social distancing at school bus stops.
All passengers must wait for the driver’s direction to enter the bus. One at a time.
All students will board the bus in a single file and occupy their assigned seats as directed by the bus monitor. Students are not permitted to change their seats at this time.
Students must stay seated with masks and seatbelts on for the duration of the trip.
Whenever possible students should refrain from touching surfaces like windows, seats, etc!
Students should stay seated and wait until the bus driver or monitor directs them before removing their seatbelts and disembarking the bus.
Be a good passenger. Follow the Bus drivers and monitors instructions at all times.
No eating or drinking on the bus.

Please note: All students will be assigned to ride the same bus to and from school. Unfortunately, we are not able to allow changes for playdates or other social engagements at this time. If there is an emergency situation requiring a bus change please contact Jane Anastasi at X707, before 2:30 PM or the Principal’s office at X153 and we will do our best to accommodate the situation.

School Bus Transportation

TRANSPORTATION OFFICE GENERAL INFORMATION

Who is eligible?

School bus transportation is available to resident students in grades one through twelve who live beyond a quarter mile of the school. Extra consideration is given to children in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten.

Transportation is also provided for students attending private and parochial schools within fifteen miles of the child's home. Families with children attending non-public schools are reminded that requests for transportation must be submitted to the school district every year by April 1st of the preceding year. Transportation will follow the calendar of the child's school, however, transportation will not be provided when the Pocantico Hills Central School District is closed.

If you have any questions or special concerns regarding transportation schedules, please call Jane Anastasi at 631-2440 ext. 707 or stop by the Business Office.

Bus Routes

Bus routes are developed annually providing stops that are safe and allow the driver to pick up the most children with the least stops. Door-to-door transportation is not provided. Routes are sent home in August of each year.

Please note: This year students will be assigned to a Route Number instead of a specific bus number.

To identify your bus please look for the Red Route number in the window on the passenger side of the bus.

*Times and locations are approximate and subject to change.

Bus Stops

Bus riders are expected to be at their bus stops at least five minutes before their scheduled time. Please make sure that your child is aware of the assigned bus stop and designated time. These estimated times might vary due to traffic, number of riders and weather conditions.

If your child will not be using the bus that day, please call the school at 631-2440 ext 707 so others will not be delayed by unnecessary stops.

Pocantico Hills Central School

District Announcements

Summer Camp 2021 at Camp Poco!

District Facilities Updates

Local Food Pantry Resources

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION FACT SHEET

Bus Schedules/Transportation Request Form

SCHOOL BUS SAFETY RULES & STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES DURING COVID-19

School Bus Transportation

Bus Routes

Bus Stops

Holiday Schedule