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COVID-19 Bus Driver/Bus Monitor Reference Sheet Originally published 09/17/2020 | Last updated 12/18/2020

This tool builds off of principles included in the School Reopening Readiness Guide and is intended to support bus drivers and bus monitors in their day-to-day trips as they provide a safe environment for students to travel to school. The tool includes information about masks, cleaning and disinfecting, monitoring for symptoms, and what to expect if there is a positive case.

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In order for bus drivers and bus monitors to use this tool, key stakeholders, including parents/caregivers, students, school administrators, and the bus company must first agree upon the following and commit to keeping their community safe.

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Community commitment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Parents / caregivers must provide masks for their children to wear on the bus.
  • Parents / caregivers must set the expectation that students wear masks and stay in their assigned seat.
  • Parents / caregivers understand that their child will not be allowed to board the bus if they do not have a mask.
  • Parents / caregivers must complete a daily symptom screening for their child as directed by the school district.
  • Parents / caregivers must not send their student to ride the bus or to school if student has symptoms. (Symptoms of Coronavirus)
  • Students must wear their masks and stay in their assigned seats.
  • Schools must support bus drivers if a student is symptomatic (e.g., by having the nurse meet the bus, designating an isolation place for the symptomatic student to wait for the nurse).
  • Bus drivers and monitors have access to COVID-19 testing at no cost to them and receive paid leave if quarantine is required.
  • Bus companies must provide drivers and monitors with contact information (email, phone #) to share concerns related to implementation of COVID precautions with the expectation of follow-up with families by school system or bus company to address lapses in COVID precautions.
  • Schools and the bus company must plan the right number of buses per route to ensure the bus is not overcrowded.
  • The bus company must provide drivers with cleaning supplies and support for cleaning.

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Additional supports for school administration and bus companies are available in the School Reopening Readiness Guide - Principle 9.1: Develop a protocol for distancing on buses.

© 2020 Ariadne Labs: A Joint Center for Health Systems Innovation (www.ariadnelabs.org) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and The Learning Accelerator (learningaccelerator.org). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

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Symptomatic Student on the Bus

  1. Observe students for symptoms when they are boarding the bus.

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  • If possible, do not allow student to board if they have visible symptoms. If the caregiver is still present, request that they take the student home.
  • If you notice a student has symptoms during the route to school or if a symptomatic student must board the bus, ensure that other students are at least six feet away from the symptomatic student, and radio dispatch or call ahead to the school to ask that the school nurse meet the bus.
  • Once at school, ask the symptomatic student to get off the bus first and connect them to the school nurse. The nurse will complete an assessment and make recommendations per school/district protocol.
  • If the student tests positive for COVID-19:
    • Contact tracers will inform you if you should get tested.
    • You may be asked for details of attendance and assigned seats in order to identify close contacts of the COVID-19-positive individual.
    • Thoroughly clean and disinfect bus. Ideally the bus should not be used until 12 hours after disinfecting.

COVID-19 Bus Driver/Bus Monitor Reference Sheet

Observe for:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Cough
  • Vomiting
  • Student appears ill

Other symptoms include fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and exposure to someone recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

Reminder:

  • Confirm all passengers are wearing masks on the bus.
  • Seat students in assigned seats and record attendance.
  • Open windows unless it is not possible due to extreme weather conditions. In cold and rainy weather, leave windows open at least a couple of inches. Consider keeping roof hatches open.
  • Wear disposable gloves when using disinfectants and wash your hands before and after cleaning.

Cleaning the Bus

High-touch surface areas. Clean the following areas after each bus route with an EPA-approved disinfectant:

  • Window latches and windowsills
  • Handrails
  • Door handles
  • Steering wheel
  • Shift knob and turn signal
  • Dashboard controls
  • Seats
  • Seatbelts (if applicable)

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Thoroughly clean and disinfect the bus at least once per day. This may include:

  • Spot-cleaning and using disinfectant on walls and seats.
  • Wiping heat and air conditioner vents.
  • Removing trash.
  • Dusting and wet-mopping floors.

References

https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/fall-reopening-k-12-transportation-guidance-vf-1595511059.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/symptom-screening.html

Telephone Number for School: