NACS Transportation Staff

Thanks to the cooperative efforts of government and school bus manufacturers, school buses are the safest vehicles on the road. School buses are designed to be highly visible with external safety features that include flashing lights, stop arms, crossover mirrors, student crossing gates, and rollover protection. Interior safety features include high back protective seating, no child left behind alarms, fully integrated 3 point lap & shoulder belts, and fully integrated 5 point harness features for special education buses. In addition to the manufacturers safety features, our team of highly trained and certified NACS School Bus Technicians pride themselves on keeping our fleet safely rolling. 

NACS would like to offer a special thanks to Parkview Trauma Centers and our partners in education across Allen County for their support on this life saving campaign!




The safety of our students is a community wide responsibility. Our drivers and students rely on YOU to get to and from school as safely as possible. Remember to SLOW when you see the yellow flashing lights. STOP when the lights flash red. STAY put until the lights stop flashing. Their lives depend on your cooperation. 





For more information on Slow. Stop. Stay, please visit Slow Stop Stay's website

**Due to the high number of transportation requests our office receives each day, your request can take up to 5 business days to process. Please make other transportation arrangements until you receive email confirmation from our office that your request has been processed. Thank you.**

We have moved. How do I get my child assigned to a new bus? 
1. Please contact your child's school to provide proof of residency at your new address. The school will update your address in PowerSchool. 
2. Once your address has been updated. Please complete the form below. 
3. Please allow our office up to 5 business days to process your request. We receive multiple bus change requests each day and do our best to process these requests as quickly as possible. 
4. Once your request has been processed, our office will send you an email with your new bus information. 
5. We will inform your school secretary of your transportation change. If your child is in elementary school, please be sure to send a note to your child's teacher indicating the change, as well. 

We are switching from car rider to bus rider. What do I need to do? 
1. If no address change is needed, please complete the form below.
2. Please allow our office up to 5 business days to process your request. We receive multiple bus change requests each day and do our best to process these requests as quickly as possible.
3. Once your request has been processed, our office will send you an email with your new bus information. 
4. We will inform your school secretary of your transportation change. If your child is in elementary school, please be sure to send a note to your child's teacher indicating the change, as well. 




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We have moved. How do we get a new bus assignment?

Please visit our Bus Rider Change Form page.

Why is my child's bus late?

Weather, traffic, late students, and other unforeseen incidents are possible reasons for buses arriving later than usual.

Students who are late to their stop often cause delays on the routes. If a driver waits an extra 30 seconds at 10 of their stops, that puts the bus behind by 5 minutes. If the bus driver arrives behind schedule on their first run, they are likely to start out behind on their second run.

Please know that we are doing everything we can to have all buses running on schedule every day. In the event that your bus does not arrive as scheduled, please allow ten minutes before calling the Transportation Center at 260-637-6165.

Will I get a phone call if our bus is running late?

There are as many as 50-70 students on each bus. Rather than making 50-70 phone calls, the Transportation Center will send a text via School Messenger to families if their bus is running more than 10 minutes late. To ensure that you receive these messages, please make sure that your School Messenger information is correct and that you are subscribed. Instructions on subscribing to School Messenger updates can be found here.

Why does the bus drop off my student early on some days?

Many schools have after school events that affect how many students are on the bus in the afternoon. Elementary schools have enrichment and sports programs on certain days of the week. Middle schools often have after school dances. On days where students stay after for these events, our buses sometimes see up to half of our students not riding home. We encourage parents to always expect the bus up to 10 minutes early as afternoon ridership fluctuates almost every day due to after school activities.

Why doesn't the bus driver wait and make sure my student gets into the house before they leave?

There are as many as 50-70 students on each bus. There are many student homes that we can't see from our driver's seat. For the homes we can see, waiting at a bus stop to ensure every student gets into their home significantly increases the length of the route and your student's overall ride time. It also causes us to stop traffic longer than necessary and increases the likelihood of stop arm violations, which creates dangerous situations for everyone around the bus. We encourage you to visit our "Role of the Parent" page for information on the role parents play to help ensure that your child's journey to/from the bus stop is as safe as possible.

Why can't the bus stop be closer to my home?

The overwhelming factor in determining the location of bus stops is the safety of our students. There are many physical characteristics that are considered when placing a bus stop. Stops are placed where they will provide a safe location for ALL students, while allowing us to route our buses in the most efficient manner possible. We try to establish bus stops that provide a reasonable walking distance of approximately 2/10 of a mile to and from the home. There may be situations where students are required to walk further than this depending on the location of the home and other route safety factors. Bus drivers cannot make unauthorized stops. If you have concerns regarding the location of your child's bus stop, please contact the Transportation Center at 260-637-6165.

Why are students required to arrive 5 minutes early to the bus stop?

Our drivers encounter a variety of unpredictable traffic factors. Most of our routes contain at least one stop light. Some days your driver might make the green light, and other days it may be red. With multiple stop lights on many of our routes, this simple factor can make a bus 5 minutes early (or late) depending on the day.

The most important reason for being 5 minutes early is safety. Drivers are required to count students as they approach the bus stop and then count them again as they board to ensure there aren't any students in the danger zones. When students are not at the stop when the bus arrives, the driver may not see late students approaching the bus.

If you are running late to the bus stop, always approach the bus stop from the front and make sure the driver sees you! NEVER cross the street without making sure the driver sees you and NEVER follow the bus to the next stop and drop the student off behind the bus. This puts students in EXTREME DANGER! If a student misses the bus, it's best to have a backup arrangement to transport that student to school.

Why does my child have a seat assignment?

Seat assignments are a positive way for the ride to be consistent and safe. It helps the driver with discipline issues, personality conflicts among students, and also helps with learning each student's name. Each year, our elementary aged students are given an assigned seat. All K-12 students will have an assigned seat on their bus. Seats at the secondary level are assigned at the driver's discretion to avoid behavioral issues and driver distraction.

Can my child ride home with a classmate on a different bus?

As our district continues to grow, many of our buses are at capacity. In the interest of safety, we have found it necessary to end the practice of students riding home on the bus with their friends. Students who already ride the same bus, may get off at a friend's bus stop only with a note signed by both a parent and a school administrator. Students will only be transported to/from existing school bus stops - making a stop at a location that is not on the route will not be permitted.

Why did you suspend my child from riding the bus?

The school bus is considered a mobile classroom. As such, student behavioral expectations are the same as classroom expectations. Factor in traffic, engine & fan noise, and the size of the classroom, and you have a potential catastrophe if the behavioral expectations are not being met. The behavioral expectations on the bus are determined based on individual rights of every person on the bus, including the driver, and the collective rights of students as it pertains to SAFETY. Anything that jeopardizes the safety of individuals on or around the bus is viewed as serious. When there is an infraction, a verbal warning is often given to the student for minor offenses. More serious safety concerns may result in a phone call to the parent asking for support, or a referral to the school administrator. Severe violations that jeopardize the safety of those inside and outside the bus may result in immediate bus and/or school suspension even without prior offenses. Our goal is to never deny any student transportation to and from school. With that in mind, enforcement of the behavioral policies ensures that the safety of all students (both inside and outside the bus) will remain our number one priority.

Parental Responsibility

Parents Play an Important Role in Safety

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Keeping kids safe on the school bus is a community effort. Safety and acceptable student conduct is developed through cooperative efforts of principals, parents, students, and bus drivers. Parents can help by teaching their children bus stop safety and by being supportive of transportation policies.

• Please ensure your student is at their bus stop 5 minutes before their pickup time. School buses are large and have many blind spots. Please understand that our drivers may not see your student approaching the bus from your home, especially on dark mornings! We often use sub drivers who may not be familiar with which homes the students live in. Ensuring your student is at the stop and ready to load not only keeps our routes running efficiently, but is the most important thing you can do to ensure your child's safety. Running toward a bus after it has stopped is incredibly dangerous!! Umbrellas are allowed on the bus if it is raining and we encourage proper outdoor attire for colder weather.
• Help teach students of the "DANGER ZONES" around a school bus (10 feet all around the bus). In these danger areas, drivers may not see students!
• Getting students to and from the bus stop is the responsibility of the parent. For some, this may require a brief morning and afternoon walk to the bus stop location. This may also require students to cross the street before the bus arrives in the morning. Whenever possible, we encourage all parents to be at the bus stop with their students and ensure their safe passage to and from the bus stop. If you have concerns about your student's safety, you are encouraged to accompany the student to the bus stop or arrange a neighborhood buddy to walk with your student.
• Please don't wave your child to cross the street when getting off the bus. Our students are trained to wait for a hand signal from the driver before crossing the street. If you wish to meet your child at the afternoon bus stop, please wait for them on the side of the street where our doors meet the sidewalk - rather than across the street. Kids get excited to see their parents and tend to dart across the street before we've cleared traffic! We appreciate parents teaching their child to wait until the driver gives the signal that it's all clear. 
• Never walk behind or next to a bus. If an item is dropped near the bus, inform the driver and/or wait until the bus has departed before picking the item up.
• Parents, we encourage you to meet your driver and know your child's bus number. Communication is key to safety!
• Parents should always expect the bus up to 10 minutes early in the afternoon due to student participation in after school programs and fluctuating ridership. Our drivers cannot sit for extended periods at bus stops to ensure someone is home at your house. Please work with your child on an emergency plan in case you are not home when your child arrives. We encourage students to have walking buddies, when possible, with whom they can hang out until you arrive home to meet your child. 
• Please call the NACS Transportation Center at 637-6165 if your child will not be riding for an extended period of time.
• Make sure your children know their full name, address and phone number. It helps to have it on a card inside their book bag.
• Make sure the student is properly dressed for the weather conditions. Attach reflective tape to their jackets or book bags when walking in the dark.
• Please write your student's name on his/her belongings. 
• Avoid sending your student too soon or too late to the bus stop.
• Escort students who are not familiar with the bus stop until they know the way and understand bus stop safety procedures.
• Articles too large to be held on the student's lap will be prohibited on the bus.
• Students may not ride the bus home with a friend on a different bus. If students already ride the same bus, they may get off with a friend only with a note signed by both a parent and a school administrator. Without a signed note, students must get off the bus at their assigned stop.
• It is always helpful with rural students who don't ride every day to have some type of signal for the driver if they need picked up. Suggestions to consider: a porch light, garage door open, or some other light the driver can see in the darkness to alert them the student is riding that day.
• We request that students who live on heavily traveled roads (Lima, Coldwater, Carroll, Tonkel, etc...) please call the Transportation Center if they are not riding. 
• Please talk to your student about the dangers of driver distraction. The school bus is a roaming classroom and all school rules apply on the bus. Our drivers often transport twice as many students as a typical classroom. In an effort to help our drivers keep their attention on the road, we do expect excellent behavior on the bus.
• The number one leading cause of bus accidents are distractions to the bus drivers. All students must conduct themselves in an orderly manner so that drivers can concentrate on safely operating the bus at all times. When a student becomes involved in behavior that is distracting, it jeopardizes the safety of those on the bus. The severity of the violation will determine the course of action taken. 

STUDENT SAFETY AT STOPS

• Students are to go directly to their stop. Never talk to strangers.
• Always cross at corners and not between cars.
• Students should arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes early.
• Students should always stay on the sidewalks or driveway at least 6 feet away from the road.
• Respect personal property at or near the bus stop. Stay out of yards and please don't litter.
• Students should line up when bus is approaching. Don't push or shove while waiting for the bus.
• When the bus approaches, don't approach the bus until you have made eye contact with the driver and have been motioned to enter the bus.
• If a student must cross a street, stay at least 10 feet in front of the bus. Always wait for the driver's hand signal and look both ways before crossing. Never assume that other motorist are going to stop.
• ALWAYS cross in front of the bus.
• If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the bus driver may not be able to see you.
• Parents who bring their child to the stop in a vehicle should release the child prior to the bus arriving to prevent the students from running to the bus.
• Your vehicle should be parked on the service door side of the bus so that students won't have to cross the street to load/unload. Please stay back at least 40 ft. from the area where children board.
• NEVER run to the bus.
• NEVER walk or run next to a moving bus.
• REMEMBER, THE DANGER ZONE IS 10ft ALL AROUND THE BUS.

• Always follow the instructions of the bus driver.
• Upon entering the bus, find a seat immediately. If you can't find a seat, please inform the driver.
• Remain seated, facing forward, and reasonably quiet. All book bags should be on students lap and not on the floor.
• No student shall stand or move from seat to seat during the trip.
• For the safety of the students, items such as glass, skateboards, animals, or any item too large that can't be held in the students lap are not permitted on the bus.
• The driver reserves the right to refuse any item on the bus that is seen as a safety risk to the children.
• No windows or doors will be opened or closed except with the permission of the driver.
• No student shall put any item or any part of his or her body out the window.
• All personal items must be kept inside the student's book bag.
• Elementary students may not use chromebooks, cell phones, or electronics on the bus. 
• Secondary students may use cell phones as described in the school bus student conduct form. 
• Students are not to tease or bully other students.
• Students are expected to respect their classmates by keeping their hands, feet, and objects to themselves.
• Loud, boisterous or profane language or indecent conduct will not be tolerated.
• Smoking, vaping, and/or alcohol will not be permitted at any time.
• In the pm, students who get off first should sit towards the isle to allow a smooth transition for children getting off the bus.
• Students will remain seated until the bus has come to a complete stop before disembarking.
• Keep 10 feet from bus once disembarking and crossing in front of bus. Never walk next to or behind the bus.
• Always wait for the driver's hand signal and look for other motorist before crossing the street.

Here is a demonstration showing how to properly buckle up on the school bus.

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