Rose Tree Media School District

1. My child wants to ride home on his or her friend's bus. What do I do? No one is allowed to ride a bus other than the one assigned to them. If you need your child to go home with another student, please make arrangements for the other students' parent to pick up in the car lane. 

2. My child is being bullied on the bus, who do I contact? Make sure your child knows to inform the driver that they are being bullied and the driver will write up the offender and submit it to the school principal. You are always welcome to call transportation at 610-627-6475 and the supervisor of transportation will address your concern with the driver. Bullying is a serious offense and should also be brought to the attention of the school administration.

3. My child was assigned a seat, why? Drivers have the right to assign seats on the bus. 

4. Why is my child not allowed to eat or drink on the school bus? There are many reasons children cannot eat or drink on the bus. Choking can occur if the bus comes to a sudden stop. Some children may be allergic to certain foods. Trash left on the bus is a safety issue; for example, a soda can rolls down the aisle of the bus and under the brake or gas pedal, preventing the driver from activating the brakes or accelerating.

5. Why did the bus pass our house and not stop, my child was standing right inside the door? It is not the responsibility of the driver to look for a student who is not standing at their bus stop when the bus arrives. Students who are not at their stop cause a delay in the sometimes tight bus schedule. All students should be at their stop five minutes before the bus is due and in plain sight when the bus is approaching.

6. We live in a cul-de-sac, why can't the bus come down our street? Buses do not come down every cul-de-sac for obvious reasons. The bus would never get the students to school on time. There are many factors that determine if a bus will come down a cul-de-sac, a few of which are, how long the walk is to the bus stop, how wide the road is, whether cars park in the street, is the road hazardous for students to walk.

7. How far does my child have to walk to the bus stop? The RTMSD has set a limit of 8/10th of a mile for walkers to walk to school. We expect the same to be true for a student to walk to a bus stop. There is no state limit on the distance a child walks to a bus stop as long as the path is safe.

8. My child was suspended from the bus, he or she has a right to bus service. Riding the bus is a privilege, not a right. The law does not require school districts to provide bus service for their residents. The school board implement bus service as a courtesy to district residents. Students who cause unsafe conditions on the school bus will have their riding privileges revoked by the school administration.

9. I have concerns about the driver, who do I contact? The transportation department encourages anyone who has a concern, complaint, or even a compliment to contact the dispatcher or the supervisor of transportation either by e-mail or by phone at 610-627-6475

10. Why is my child's bus late dropping him or her off at home? There are many reasons a bus can be late, including break downs, traffic caused by volume and traffic caused by car accidents, detours, inclement weather, and the need to double up bus runs in the event of a driver shortage. During inclement weather, buses will always be late. For safety reasons, drivers will always drive slower in inclement weather. RTM is a very congested area from about 3pm to 5pm and buses sit in traffic for several minutes, causing a delay in the schedule. Sometimes it is necessary to double up bus runs to enable the transportation department to transport all the district's children. If, in an unfortunate situation, your child's bus is in a bus accident, you will be notified.

11. What is the time limit a child is expected to ride a bus? The state does not regulate the time a child rides a school bus. This depends on the distance your home is from the school and the number of students on the bus. Although we would love to deliver all our students within 15 to 30 mins, this is not always possible.

12. I want to send my child to a private school, what is the distance limit? The RTMSD will only transport students to private schools that are within 10 miles from our district boundaries closest to the school of choice. 

13. My child's bus is completely full, what is the seating capacity? A 72 passenger bus can hold up to 72 elementary students. 48 passenger bus will hold 48 students. That is three to a seat. For high school there are two to one seat and for middle school there is usually two to one seat, but some seats can have three passengers. The district tries to follow the 3 seat rule for elementary, and the 2 seat rule for high school and middle school whenever possible.

14. What number should I dial to reach the Transportation office? The main line for the transportation department is 610-627-6475. We ask that you use that line to call with questions and concerns, so as not to tie up the other office lines, especially in an emergency.