Transportation: Arrival & Dismissal

Transporting students in a safe and timely manner is an important part of our daily operation.

Transportation is available for preschool students who have individual education programs, as determined by their special education needs. For all other students, transportation is the responsibility of the parent, guardian or caregiver.

Please closely review our arrival and dismissal procedures below to ensure the safe transport of all our students.

Grades k-2 Transportation Form

Car Riders: Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

Lakota Preschool uses a car rider drop-off and pick-up line for arrival and dismissal each day. This is a hand-to-hand service, from parent/guardian (or designated drop-off adult) to staff member at the car and then to classroom teacher once in the building.

To ensure your child’s safety, students will be issued a transportation tag to wear on his/her backpack. Each family is given pink passes that will include their child’s name and teacher name. This sign must be on the dash for us to release the student to the appropriate car.

If you are doing a carpool or someone else will be picking up your child, you must give them a pink pass and notify the teacher of the dismissal change.On the first few days of school, staff will be available to direct traffic through the car rider line.

At VanGorden, the drop-off/pick-up line will be in front of the school in the semi-circle drive. This will be a SINGLE line of traffic. Once the semi-circle is full, cars will be diverted into the main VanGorden parking lot to line up and wait, as this will prevent traffic build-up on LeSourdsville West Chester Rd.

At Liberty ECS, the drop-off/pick-up line will be in the small parking lot near the preschool playground(to the right of the building as you enter). This will be a SINGLE line of traffic. ALL cars must turn right out of the parking lot.

Drop-Off Guidelines

AM Preschool drop-off will begin at 8:40 a.m.
PM Preschool drop-off will begin at 12:40 p.m.Once in the drop-off zone, TURN OFF your car and prepare your child to exit the car.

Unlock seatbelts/car seat buckles.
Put on coats/backpacks.
Give hugs/say your goodbyes.
Finish any breakfast/lunch/snacks before entering the drop off zone.

A staff member will open the door of your car, and take your child’s hand to exit the vehicle.

If your child is not ready to exit the car or needs additional assistance, the parent must ready their child, help them exit and stand waiting for a staff member to take the child’s hand.

Pick-Up Guidelines

AM Preschool pick-up will begin at 11:40 a.m.
PM Preschool pick-up will begin at 3:40 p.m.Pick-up will be a similar process to drop-off. However, staff may NOT buckle your children into their car seats/seat belts.

At pick up, parents will need to TURN OFF cars, get out of cars, wait by the side of the car for your student, buckle them in, and wait to be dismissed from the pick-up zone.
At NO time may cars go around (to the left of) cars waiting in the pick-up zone. This becomes a significant safety risk for our students and staff. After you have readied your child, please wait until the line in front of you moves before proceeding to exit.
Please be cognizant of the time you are taking in the line. If you need additional time or accommodations, please make a plan to park and pick up your student in VanGorden's main parking lot so you are not holding up the pick up lane.
Please wait at your car for your student. Do not walk up the sidewalk to your child; staff will come to your car with your child.

Safety Tips

Please keep the drop-off and pick-up areas a cell phone free zone while in the car rider line.
Say your goodbyes prior to the drop-off zone.
At NO time should a preschool student be left unattended.
Be aware of the time you are taking to ready and retrieve your child. If you need additional time than most, please make an alternate plan with the teacher for your child’s pick up.

Specialized Transportation Service

Some children who qualify for special education services may also qualify for specialized transportation services due to needs identified in his/her evaluation and Individual Education Plan. Children who qualify can only be bussed within Lakota district lines.

To ensure your child’s safety, students will be issued a bus/transportation tag to wear on his/her backpack. Lakota staff members will get students from the buses and take them directly to their classroom teachers. The same process will occur at dismissal to take students to their assigned buses.

In This Section

District Transportation Information

The role of Lakota's Transportation Department is to guarantee safe, efficient and cost-effective transportation of students to and from their schools.

Over the years, the district has worked with its contracted bus service company, Petermann, to regularly review bus routes in an effort to safely transport as many students as possible within the available budget.

Transportation Arrangements
Bus Safety and Procedures

Transportation Arrangements

Transportation for all students is based on the home address listed in our student database. Please note that all transportation forms are available and completed via Final Forms.

Grades K-2

Early childhood schools ask that all families complete a transportation form (via Final Forms) each school year to have on file, even if transportation is not needed.

Note: PreK-2 parents/guardians are required to be at the bus stop for drop-off. Parents may write a letter to allow the student to get off the bus without a parent present.

Grades 3-6

By default, transportation for all eligible students is based on the home address listed in Home Access Center (HAC). All alternative transportation plans are automatically cleared at the end of each school year, so please complete the online transportation form (in Final Forms) before each school year if you’ll require transportation to or from an address different than your home address.

Please DO NOT put your child on a bus or assume that the change is in effect until you have been notified of the approval. Once approved, the Transportation Department will fax the confirmation back to your child's school and you will be notified.

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Bus Safety and Procedures

To ensure the safe transportation of our students, please review the Bus Safety Brochure and other important information below.

Bus Safety Brochure

Parent/Guardian Role

Transporting children is a shared responsibility between home and school. While the district is responsible for children once they board their bus, families are solely responsible for the safety and supervision of their children to and from the designated bus stop and while students wait for their bus.

Parents/guardians of preschool, kindergarten and first grade children are advised to meet and receive their children at the bus stop. Children not met by their parents/guardians will be returned to their school building.

Student Role

Family support for appropriate behaviors is essential. Parents are asked to reinforce with their children the importance of obeying the district's Student Code of Conduct and all Bus Safety Rules when riding in a school bus. Such rules ensure the safety and welfare of all riders. Thus, if a child jeopardizes everyone's safety by repeatedly violating these rules, the student may ultimately be denied the privilege of riding the bus.

How to Handle Transportation Issues

Bus routes are designed for safety and efficiency. Extended stop times impact multiple routes. We want to properly address any concerns you may have, so we please ask that you do not interrupt the bus schedule by talking directly with a driver while he or she is on the route. If a problem or concern arises related to school bus transportation, families are encouraged to write the driver a note or call (513) 755-5821 to leave a message at the Lakota Service Center. Building administrators may also assist with transportation related questions.

Consequences of Misbehavior

If a bus rider misbehaves, the following guidelines will be followed in disciplining the offender:

For a first offense, the student will be counseled by the driver as to the appropriate behavior that is expected.
If the student’s inappropriate behavior continues, the bus driver will detail the student’s actions in writing to the building administrator. The building administrator will then contact the student’s parents/guardians and explain that an official warning has been given and that further misbehavior could result in removal of the student from the bus.
If the student’s continued misbehavior warrants the bus driver submitting a second report, the student will be required to personally meet with the principal or assistant principal. Parents/Guardians may also be asked to attend this meeting.
If the student must be referred to school administrators a third time, severe disciplinary action may be taken, including suspension from riding the bus for a period of time. When a pupil’s bus privileges are suspended, the student’s parents/guardians become responsible for transporting their child to and from school.
Dangerous acts on a school bus are cause for immediate suspension from the bus.

Click here to view the Lakota bus safety brochure.

Bus Driver Training

Each driver is expected to pass all required instructional materials and to meet or exceed qualifications as outlined by local, state and federal regulations. New drivers must complete rigorous training courses through classroom and behind-the-wheel training.

The safety training program emphasizes current safety prevention tactics, proper bus inspections, student management and the extra attention our riders with special needs deserve. In order to remain qualified as one of our school bus drivers, all drivers must continue to participate in in-service trainings throughout the year.

Going above and beyond

Each year, Lakota bus drivers are well-represented at the Ohio School Bus Driver Safety ROAD-E-O competition. The annual event is open to all Ohio school bus drivers and consists of both a written test as well as an off-road driving skills test – all to promote safety, professionalism and recognition.

Over the years, Lakota drivers have done extremely well in the competition, with several drivers winning the state title.

“I’m not surprised by the success of our drivers. I often see drivers in study groups asking each other questions or practicing their off-road driving skills at 7:30 or 8 in the evening. The preparation for the event is all on their own time.”Susan Prewitt, General Manager for Petermann/Lakota

Find Your Bus Route

Attendance Zone Search

Transportation Forms & Documents

In This Section

Contact Us

WE are here to help! If you have questions regarding bus route information or the transportation of your child, please contact us.

Calls are answered in the order received. Please understand that we receive a particularly high volume of calls at the start of the school year and hold/wait times may be longer than normal.

Transportation Department
Lakota Service Center
6947 Yankee Road
Liberty Twp. OH 45011
Phone: 513-755-5821
Fax: 513-777-3114

Office Hours
5:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday

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Transportation: Arrival & Dismissal

Car Riders: Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

Drop-Off Guidelines

Pick-Up Guidelines

Safety Tips

Specialized Transportation Service

In This Section

District Transportation Information

Transportation Arrangements

Grades K-2

Grades 3-6

Bus Safety and Procedures

Parent/Guardian Role

Student Role

How to Handle Transportation Issues

Consequences of Misbehavior

Bus Driver Training

Going above and beyond

Transportation Forms & Documents

In This Section

Contact Us

District Transportation Resources