To our parents/guardians,

We recognize that you rely on us to provide safe bus transportation for your children to and from school. We take this responsibility seriously, and even more so during this unprecedented and challenging time for Black Gold families.

Black Gold School Division has some of the highest standards for school bus safety in the province. During this public health crisis, we are following the direction of the Alberta Government, Alberta Education and Alberta Health Services, and taking additional precautionary measures to safeguard the well-being of our students and drivers when buses start running this fall.

There is no way to eliminate all risk as physical distancing on a school bus is extremely difficult, so parents and students need to take extra precautions while riding and waiting for the bus. Black Gold School Division is implementing the following health and safety protocols to limit COVID-19 transmission on our buses:

• Children/students should not board the bus if they have symptoms of COVID-19. Be sure to use the self-screening questionnaire each day prior to leaving for the bus.
• All students Grades 4 – 12 must wear a face mask prior to entering the school bus, and must keep the mask on during the ride and at bus transfer sites. Students in Grades K – 3 are strongly encouraged to wear a face mask, if possible.
• Grade 4 – 12 students not wearing face masks will not be allowed entry into the school bus. Bus drivers will have a very limited number of disposable masks to hand out if necessary.
• All students will be required to use the hand sanitizer provided when entering the bus.
• If you send your child in a cloth mask that is special to them, please label it. This way, if it is left behind on the bus it can be properly stored and returned to them on the next trip.
• Students are to be monitored at the bus stop by parents or guardians to assist with social distancing and face masks while waiting for the bus.
• Students will have an assigned seat. The seating arrangement will be set, with siblings seated together. The same seating arrangement will be for both a.m. and p.m. routes.
• Students at the transfer site in Leduc must keep their mask on the entire time.
• All bus drivers will be cleaning the school bus after each bus run, both morning and afternoon, with an approved cleaning product as per Alberta Health Services guidelines.
• Drivers will also be wearing a mask and or face shield when loading and unloading the school bus. They will remove their mask when the bus is in motion for proper visibility.
• The drivers will do everything they can to ensure compliance, and will encourage students to use their face masks and keep their hands to themselves. The driver’s first priority is on the road safety.
• Students who are not following the rules will be referred to the school principal and may lose the privilege of riding.
• Currently we have a shortage of substitute bus drivers, and there may be times when a driver is ill and the route cannot run. We will notify parents as early as possible; however, in some circumstance you may receive very short notice. Following Alberta Health Services direction, drivers may be absent for extended periods and routes may not be available.

If you have any questions about the re-entry plan for buses, please refer to the Black Gold School Division 2020-2021 School Re-entry Plan, or contact our Transportation Department at 780-955-6025 or sue.timmermans@blackgold.ca.