Safety

The Toronto Catholic District School Board is dedicated to providing safe and reliable transportation for our students. Safety, however, is a group project that must be shared by all stakeholders. Parents, schools, teachers, bus operators, the School Board, the general public, and students must understand the rules that govern school bus transportation in order to keep our students safe.

Working together we can make sure our students get to and from school safely. Please review the following links that provides information on school bus safety and we all can contribute to the safety of our students. Please see below for information on our “Back to School Safely” program that introduces students (and parents) to school bus transportation.

Back to School Safely

The Back to School Safely program is coming back for another year! Buster the Bus, Elmer the Safety Elephant, Toronto Police, Safety Patrollers and School Board Staff will all be present to deliver the school bus safety message. You can view the flyer by clicking here. Here are the dates and locations for the 2010 sessions:

Aug. 7, 2010
- Albion Mall (Kipling and Albion / NW Corner), 1530 Albion Road
- 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Aug. 14, 2010
- Cedarbrae Mall (West of Markham Road), 3495 Lawrence Ave. East
- 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Aug. 19, 2010
- East York Town Centre, 45 Overlea Blvd.
- 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Aug. 21, 2010
- Centrepoint Mall (Yonge and Steeles / SW Corner), 6464 Yonge Street
- 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Aug. 28, 2010
- Yorkgate Mall (Jane and Finch / NW Corner), 1 Yorkgate Blvd.
- 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Please visit our viewing gallery with a collection of scenes from last year's Back To School Safely program.

In-School Safety Program

The In-School safety program is currently delivered by Stock Transportation for students from Junior Kindergarten to grade 8 whether they ride the bus or not. The course is divided into two activities; an in-school portion and an on bus centre. The in-school portion uses videos, songs, and discussion that are age appropriate to highlight school bus safety. The on bus portion has students getting on a bus and going through an emergency evacuation along with a demonstration of proper crossing techniques and school bus etiquette.

Please visit our viewing gallery with a collection of scenes from the in-school program.

Teachers! - The tools below can assist the Student Transportation Department in delivering the message about school bus safety. In order to maximize the impact of our school bus safety program, some of the main concepts need to be reiterated throughout the school year. The resources below provide teachers some material that they may be able to use in their classroom to carry these concepts forward throughout the school year.

School Bus Crafts and Activities (First School)
School Bus Online Games (North Carolina School Bus Safety Web)
School Bus Safety Curriculum (Thunder Bay Catholic DSB)
www.ontarioroadsafety.ca

Other Resources

School Bus Safety Resource Guide	This School Bus Safety Resource Guide provides information on a number of programs and resource materials which can be used to improve school bus safety.
School Bus Safety Smarts	Information on School Bus Safety were prepared by the Ministry of Education and Training in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation, Schoolbus Drivers and representatives of the Ontario School Boards.
Information for Parents	Parents can help to ensure that it remains safe by stressing school bus safety with their children. The following information may be of interest.
Elmer the Safety Elephant	Elmer the Safety Elephant is one of the best known and best loved symbols of child safety.
Safe Kids Canada	The national injury prevention program of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

Safety Inquiries:

» Email Sheila Dove