The Transportation Department is tasked with one of the most important missions in our school system: To provide safe, efficient transportation for the students of Pickens County.
The professional drivers and monitors of this department operate on 60 routes throughout the county, traveling an average of 2500 miles each day. This could not be accomplished without the ongoing efforts of our support staff and the "heart of our machine", our mechanical staff. Working as a team to ensure "Graduation and Life Preparation for All", this department will continue to keep the wheels turning on one of America's most recognizable icons... the Big Yellow School Bus.
Pickens County School District has chosen VersaTrans e-link for its student transportation online information system (STOIS). The VersaTran STOIS utilizes the latest routing technology to maintain accurate and up-to-date bus routing information.
Phone: 706-253-1727
Fax: 706-253-1729
Name | Title | Email Address |
Ginger Grimmett | Transportation Supervisor | gingergrimmett@pickenscountyschools.org |
Sasha Merrell | Routing Specialist | sashamerrell@pickenscountyschools.org |
Donna Underwood | Receptionist and PM Dispatcher | donnaunderwood@pickenscountyschools.org |
Kay Saunders | Data Clerk and Field Trip Coordinator | kaysaunders@pickenscountyschools.org |
Transportation should occur in an environment that is conducive to safety. Safe transportation requires the same order and discipline as in the classroom. Students are subject to the rules and regulations of the PCSD when transported on buses and other school vehicles at the public expense to and from school or other school activities.
The driver shall make every attempt to resolve student conduct problems before a formal disciplinary report is made.
This may be done by:
Upon a student being reported to the school’s administration for the first time during the school year, the administration shall make the student aware of the charges and give the student the opportunity to respond. If the administrators determine disciplinary action is warranted, then the administrator shall give the student written notification of the charges and the disciplinary action to be taken using the Discipline Matrix (see page 12). Repeated misconduct will result in progressively more severe disciplinary consequences that include but are not limited to suspension of bus riding privileges for up to ten (10) days, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, permanent loss of bus riding privileges, or referral to a disciplinary tribunal.
Students shall:
interfere with the driver’s operation of the bus.
Occasionally school projects and band instruments are transported to school. The following guidelines must be followed to ensure the safety of students during a possible evacuation of the bus as well and to maintain the comfort, well-being, and safety of all students:
without interfering with the safety and comfort of others in the seat, may be transported.
corners, or sharp display objects.
[STATE REF.: Georgia Board of Education Policy EBCB/JCDAD (Rule 160-5-3-.13) State Standards B 1(1a.23) LEGAL REF.: O.C.G.A. § 20- 2-50; 20-2-59; 20-2-188; 20-2-751.5]
A student under the age of nine (9) years old or a rider of a special needs bus may not be left at their afternoon drop-off location if no authorized person is there to receive him/her.
Safety is our number one priority in providing bus transportation. Students are expected to learn their stop, understand their driver’s expectations, and practice safe riding, walking, and waiting habits as they travel to and from school and at their assigned stop. Drivers need to establish safe, orderly, and respectful routines that include knowing their students and developing positive relationships with them.
Q: How are bus stops assigned to students?
A: The assignment of bus routes and stops is made by Transportation Department staff to transport students to school effectively, on-time, and ready to learn. Students are assigned based on the closest route/stop and/or most appropriate for their residence.
For students in elementary school, a daycare provider may be chosen as the student’s “residence” for morning or afternoon routes, as long as it is in the student’s “home attendance zone” and as long as the Transportation Department can provide a safe route and bus stop for the location. Changes to the assigned stop may be requested by the parent or guardian on a "Change Request for Student School Bus Transportation Form." Students shall be assigned one stop location in the morning and one stop location in the afternoon.
The safety of students is the first consideration when determining bus stop locations; however, the safety of any school bus stop is evaluated with the understanding that the parent/guardian will provide supervision appropriate to the maturity level of the student(s) at the bus stop.
Daycare providers are required to be at the designated stop when the bus arrives to receive students. If they are not present, students will be returned to school where the daycare representative or parent/guardian may pick them up.
Q: Why must students ride their assigned buses to their assigned stops?
A: PCSD provides basic transportation services for students. Our goal of safe, orderly, and respectful transportation service can only be achieved when all partners (drivers, students, parents, and school staff) develop safe, consistent habits and procedures concerning riding, loading/unloading, supervision at the stop, and walking to and from the stop.
The driver and student assigned to the bus develop a relationship that includes an understanding of expectations and requirements for safety on the assigned bus and at the bus stop. When safe routines are disrupted, the driver, student, or parent may be distracted and potentially place students at risk. Drivers must focus on the assigned students who are loading and unloading the bus to ensure their safety. Students who board a bus other than their assigned bus or who request to get off the bus at other than their assigned stop will be returned to the school where parents/guardians may pick them up.