Transportation: Arrival & Dismissal

Transporting students in a safe and timely manner is an important part of our school district's operation. To ensure the safe transportation of our VanGorden students, please review our arrival and dismissal procedures below.

Our first priority is the safety of our students. Please make sure your student knows each day how they will be going home.

Bus information for students can be found on Home Access Center (HAC). If your student is being picked by anyone other than a person listed as an emergency contact in HAC, please notify the office as soon as possible in the morning. Parents can update emergency contacts in HAC at any time.

General Information

School starts at 8:20 a.m.
The back lot (playground) is used for buses, and daycare riders.
CAR RIDERS ARE DROPPED OFF IN THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING.
Students will be dismissed as follows:
3:00 p.m.: Car Lanes 1 and 2
3:05 p.m.: Buses and Daycare Vans

Arrival

Arrival is from 8:05 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.
All families that are dropping off their children must use the front of the building.
Buses and daycare vehicles will use the back of the building.
Staff members will direct both car and bus drop off and pick up.
Students must exit their vehicles on the passenger side of the vehicle for safety. PLEASE ADHERE TO THIS POLICY.
Students must stay in their cars until they are directed to enter the building by the staff on duty.

Dismissal

Dismissal begins at 3:00 p.m.
Car riders will dismiss first at 3:00 p.m. in front of the building.
Buses and Daycare riders will begin dismissal at 3:05 p.m. and will use the back.

Carpool Process

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

PLEASE KEEP ALL 23-24 SCHOOL YEAR

CAR DASHBOARD PASSES

In the event your student does not have bussing, we will be assigning new carpool numbers to every family. Families with more than one student at VanGorden will have one number assigned for your family.

· Every Family is assigned a carpool number for parent dashboards. Including students who are every day bus or van riders.

· Please write your student(s) car number in their planner(s).

· Parents will let their student(s) know each morning before school how they will be going home.

· We begin car dismissal at 3:07pm. Please be in the car line by 3:00pm, but no earlier than 2:45pm.

· Parents will get in car lane 1 or 2 in front of the building.

· If the lanes are full, parents will be directed to go to the parking lot.

· Once the first set of cars in lane 1 and lane 2 are dismissed, all remaining cars will be filtered into lane one.

· If there are any changes to your child’s dismissal plan, please call the office no later than 2:00pm.

· Carpooling is recommended to keep the number of cars down. Please check with your neighbors and friends to see if they would like to carpool.

· Anyone that has the number on the dash board, may pick up the student. For example: Friends, neighbors, etc.

There will be several staff members and our School Resource Officer (SRO) helping to ensure your student(s) are safe.

Drop Off and Pick Up Map

Special Office Pick-Up Procedures

We understand that, on occasion, you may need to coordinate pick-up for your student who normally rides the bus (for an appointment or lesson, etc.). Office pickup is limited to these such circumstances. Please contact the office to arrange special end-of-day pickup 1-513-644-1150.
Anyone coming into the office to sign out a child who is sick, has an appointment, or is leaving early for any other reason:

Must be on that student’s emergency list (exceptions can be made only by a written request from the parent/guardian)
Be buzzed in
Must come into the office to sign the student out
Must be able to present photo ID to office staff
May be asked to wait in the foyer once they have signed out the student

In This Section

District Transportation Information

The role of Lakota's Transportation Department is to guarantee safe, efficient and cost-effective transportation of students to and from their schools.

Over the years, the district has worked with its contracted bus service company, Petermann, to regularly review bus routes in an effort to safely transport as many students as possible within the available budget.

Transportation Forms
Bus Safety and Procedures

Transportation Forms

Transportation for all students is based on the home address listed in our student database.

Note that all transportations forms are now online as a part of Final Forms.

Grades K-2

All parents/guardians need to submit a Transportation Form each school year (for transportation to or from a home address or to and from a different address). Early childhood schools ask that all families complete an online form (in Final Forms) to have on file, even if transportation is not needed.

Note: PreK-2 parents/guardians are required to be at the bus stop for drop off. Parents may write a letter to allow the student to get off the bus without a parent present.

Grades 3-6

By default, transportation for all eligible students is based on the home address listed in Home Access Center (HAC). All alternative transportation plans are automatically cleared at the end of each school year, so please complete the online form (in Final Forms) before each school year if you’ll require transportation to or from an address different than your home address.

Please honor the following deadlines to receive transportation for the upcoming school year, beginning on the date indicated below.

Note that this is for current families already enrolled at Lakota. New families enrolling will receive transportation information approximately 48 hours after registration is completed.

Bus information will be available to families in HAC beginning on Monday, July 25.

Form Submission Deadline	Transportation Available
Aug. 3, 2023	First day of school
After Aug. 3, 2023	Sept. 5, 2023
After Sept. 5, 2023	All forms will be processed within 48 hours.

Please DO NOT put your child on a bus or assume that the change is in effect until you have been notified of the approval. Once approved, the Transportation Department will fax the confirmation back to your child's school and you will be notified.

Bus Safety and Procedures

To ensure the safe transportation of our students, please review the Bus Safety Brochure and other important information below.

Bus Safety Brochure

Parent/Guardian Role

Transporting children is a shared responsibility between home and school. While the district is responsible for children once they board their bus, families are solely responsible for the safety and supervision of their children to and from the designated bus stop and while students wait for their bus.

Parents/guardians of preschool, kindergarten and first grade children are advised to meet and receive their children at the bus stop. Children not met by their parents/guardians will be returned to their school building.

Student Role

Family support for appropriate behaviors is essential. Parents are asked to reinforce with their children the importance of obeying the district's Student Code of Conduct and all Bus Safety Rules when riding in a school bus. Such rules ensure the safety and welfare of all riders. Thus, if a child jeopardizes everyone's safety by repeatedly violating these rules, the student may ultimately be denied the privilege of riding the bus.

How to Handle Transportation Issues

Bus routes are designed for safety and efficiency. Extended stop times impact multiple routes. We want to properly address any concerns you may have, so we please ask that you do not interrupt the bus schedule by talking directly with a driver while he or she is on the route. If a problem or concern arises related to school bus transportation, families are encouraged to write the driver a note or call (513) 755-5821 to leave a message at the Lakota Service Center. Building administrators may also assist with transportation related questions.

Consequences of Misbehavior

If a bus rider misbehaves, the following guidelines will be followed in disciplining the offender:

For a first offense, the student will be counseled by the driver as to the appropriate behavior that is expected.
If the student’s inappropriate behavior continues, the bus driver will detail the student’s actions in writing to the building administrator. The building administrator will then contact the student’s parents/guardians and explain that an official warning has been given and that further misbehavior could result in removal of the student from the bus.
If the student’s continued misbehavior warrants the bus driver submitting a second report, the student will be required to personally meet with the principal or assistant principal. Parents/Guardians may also be asked to attend this meeting.
If the student must be referred to school administrators a third time, severe disciplinary action may be taken, including suspension from riding the bus for a period of time. When a pupil’s bus privileges are suspended, the student’s parents/guardians become responsible for transporting their child to and from school.
Dangerous acts on a school bus are cause for immediate suspension from the bus.

Click here to view the Lakota bus safety brochure.

Bus Driver Training

Each driver is expected to pass all required instructional materials and to meet or exceed qualifications as outlined by local, state and federal regulations. New drivers must complete rigorous training courses through classroom and behind-the-wheel training.

The safety training program emphasizes current safety prevention tactics, proper bus inspections, student management and the extra attention our riders with special needs deserve. In order to remain qualified as one of our school bus drivers, all drivers must continue to participate in in-service trainings throughout the year.

Going above and beyond

Each year, Lakota bus drivers are well-represented at the Ohio School Bus Driver Safety ROAD-E-O competition. The annual event is open to all Ohio school bus drivers and consists of both a written test as well as an off-road driving skills test – all to promote safety, professionalism and recognition.

Over the years, Lakota drivers have done extremely well in the competition, with several drivers winning the state title.

“I’m not surprised by the success of our drivers. I often see drivers in study groups asking each other questions or practicing their off-road driving skills at 7:30 or 8 in the evening. The preparation for the event is all on their own time.”Susan Prewitt, General Manager for Petermann/Lakota

Find Your Bus Route

Attendance Zone Search

Transportation Forms & Documents

In This Section

Contact Us

WE are here to help! If you have questions regarding bus route information or the transportation of your child, please contact us.

Calls are answered in the order received. Please understand that we receive a particularly high volume of calls at the start of the school year and hold/wait times may be longer than normal.

Transportation Department
Lakota Service Center
6947 Yankee Road
Liberty Twp. OH 45011
Phone: 513-755-5821
Fax: 513-777-3114

Office Hours
5:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday

Desktop Search

POPULAR SEARCHES

Search

Constituent

School Header

Logo Container

logo-image

Location

Schools

Search Button

Trigger Container

In This Section

Breadcrumb

Transportation: Arrival & Dismissal

General Information

Arrival

Dismissal

Carpool Process

Drop Off and Pick Up Map

Special Office Pick-Up Procedures

In This Section

District Transportation Information

Transportation Forms

Grades K-2

Grades 3-6

Bus Safety and Procedures

Parent/Guardian Role

Student Role

How to Handle Transportation Issues

Consequences of Misbehavior

Bus Driver Training

Going above and beyond

Transportation Forms & Documents

In This Section

Contact Us

District Transportation Resources