Field trip transportation

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks, all! I appreciate all the info and reassurance. I wasn’t going to not let DC go, but I’ll be less worried it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dc’s preK class has a field trip this week to a pumpkin patch in MD about an hour away. They’re taking a bus/busses. We asked the teacher this morning if they’re school busses or charter busses and whether there are safety restraints and she didn’t know the answer. I know I can call the school but I’m wondering what others experience is with this. DC is obviously still in a car seat and I’m a little skittish about sending them on a bus on the highway.

You have the option of driving your child yourself if you feel better about that. Most likely it is a charter bus with seatbelts.

[Anonymous]

What do you do on a regular bus? Those don't have seatbelts either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dc’s preK class has a field trip this week to a pumpkin patch in MD about an hour away. They’re taking a bus/busses. We asked the teacher this morning if they’re school busses or charter busses and whether there are safety restraints and she didn’t know the answer. I know I can call the school but I’m wondering what others experience is with this. DC is obviously still in a car seat and I’m a little skittish about sending them on a bus on the highway.

You have the option of driving your child yourself if you feel better about that. Most likely it is a charter bus with seatbelts.

But knowing your are actually putting your child at increased risk.

[Anonymous]

My child, PK3, went to pumpkin far about an hour away. DCPS hired a charter bus. No seat belts. No car seats. No booster seats. No problems. Great day had by all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're at a Head Start school, car seats are required.

My DD was in a pre K at a title 1 school and for their field trips (this was three years ago), they were just on a regular school bus, no restraints. I was a chaperone and certainly don't remember any. All the kids were 3 and 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're at a Head Start school, car seats are required.

My DD was in a pre K at a title 1 school and for their field trips (this was three years ago), they were just on a regular school bus, no restraints. I was a chaperone and certainly don't remember any. All the kids were 3 and 4.

DCPS randomly started enforcing Head Start requirements 2 years ago (despite those requirements being on the books much longer than that). It caused so many issues - it took them at least half a year to find a vendor that could provide proper seats/boosters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When DD was 3 her daycare did a couple of field trips on small buses and the kids were just in lapbelts. I went in and installed her carseat. I was the only parent that did though.

WTF ?? ? people do that ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks, all! I appreciate all the info and reassurance. I wasn’t going to not let DC go, but I’ll be less worried it now.

OP, my PK-3'er is also going on a field trip to a pumpkin patch. This thread is very reassuring! I really do think my kid is going to go bananas over riding on a real bus and having a trip to a pumpkin patch, and now I can feel better knowing that he will very likely be safe doing so.

[Anonymous]

I would drive my child and I wouldn't let them go on a school bus. Those seats are not made for little ones. Kids have a tuff time for an hour. They don't allow car seats as if there were a fire it would be very hard to get all the kids off if there was a fire.

[Anonymous]

DS in PK3 (DCPS) just went on a field trip to a farm. It was a charter bus with 5 pt harness seatbelts.

[Anonymous]

All ECE classes at DCPS Title I schools who will be going on the field trip to Sharp’s Farm are required to travel on the charter buses with the 5 point safety restraints. This is not only a Head Start requirement, but a DC law. Please also note that Title I schools received this field trip free of charge. A portion of the DCPS Head Start grant was allocated to provide tickets to all ECE students at Title I schools for this trip.

[Anonymous]

I hope that some of these schools enjoy this Head Start funded trip because for about 23-25 of the current 60 Title I schools, Head Start will be removed next year and they will be on their own to cover these things. DCPS is finalizing their grant and it will be submitted to Head Start in early November. Schools and families impacted by the reduction in DCPS Head Start programming sites will be notified in the next couple of weeks before the lottery opens for SY 2020-2021.

[Anonymous]

DCPS started requiring bus transportation for PK3 and PK4 to have 5-point harness seatbelts. If your child is in PK3 with DCPS, then the bus is likely a chartered bus with that type of seatbelt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would drive my child and I wouldn't let them go on a school bus. Those seats are not made for little ones. Kids have a tuff time for an hour. They don't allow car seats as if there were a fire it would be very hard to get all the kids off if there was a fire.

KNow that despite the "tuff" time your kid would be having, statistically s/he is safer on a bus from crashes. Read the part upthread about the seats being designed for compartmentalization.

Also, re: "fire:" Your car is much more likely to catch on fire than a bus, and a school bus is required to have fire extinguishers. Your kid is also less likely to be trapped in fire because the school bus is required to have emergency exits/exits on all sides, including the roof hatch.