• MANCHESTER ESSEX REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

    Bus Service for Middle High School (Grades 6-12) for 2020-2021

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at this time bus service is only available to elementary school students residing 2.0 miles or more from school.   

    There are a few important changes this year:

    • In keeping with State-issued guidelines and advisories for safe distancing on school buses, each student will be assigned a bus route and seat.  For that reason, the deadline to register students is Wednesday, December 2, 2020. 

     

    • This year, bus service will be provided for students who reside 2.0 miles or more from school only.  This is to ensure that we have enough bus capacity to serve students while maintaining 6 feet of social distancing on the bus. 

     

    • Registration is currently available for elementary students only, in preparation for the launch of in-person instruction at Memorial and Essex Elementary Schools, later this month.  Registrations for Middle and High School students are not currently being accepted, as those schools remain in remote-only operations until further notice.  We will provide updated registration information for Middle and High School riders when in-person school resumes for those grades.

     

    • Riders will be required to follow MERSD's safety and distancing protocols on the bus - masks are to be worn at all times and students will be seated 6 feet apart.

     

    COVID-19 Bus Safety Protocols

     

    Protocols on the bus are aligned with transportation guidance from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).  Specifically:

     

    Masks:

    • All riders and drivers must wear a mask on the bus at all times.

    Distance

    • Students will be seated no more than one per bench, with the exception of siblings, who will be seated together on a single bench.  Riders will be seated on alternating sides of the bus, in alternating rows, to allow for 6 feet of physical distance.

    Ventilation

    • Windows will be kept open at all times during operation, unless not possible due to extreme weather conditions.  Please make sure your child has appropriate clothing to keep warm.

    Seat assignments

    • Students are assigned to a single bus and a particular seat.  

    Boarding

    • Students will be boarded from back to front to promote social distancing.  This means that students who board first will have an assigned seat in the back, with assignments moving forward, for students who board next, based on routes, and assigned pick up times. 

    Sanitization

    • Buses will be sanitized after every route. Hand sanitizer is available at the front of every bus for students. 

    Health Screening

    • For the safety of all, students should not board the bus and not come to school if they have not completed the daily, morning health attestation.  Families will receive an email with instructions on how to complete the daily MERSD health attestation, to confirm that they are not showing any symptoms associated with COVID-19.  This must be completed daily, prior to boarding the bus.

    Driver Training

    • Please see the attached message from our transportation provider, Salter Transportation, regarding steps they have taken to train their drivers on DESE protocols, and safe operation of vehicles regarding COVID-19.

     

     

    School Bus