This message is a reminder that, during the first few weeks of school, some Mars Area School District school buses may be slightly delayed or may arrive early when picking up or dropping off students at their designated bus stops.
The school bus will stop ONE time at each designated bus stop. The bus will not stop a second time for any students, who are late. Therefore, all students are asked to be at their designated bus stop at least 10 minutes prior to their scheduled morning pick-up time.
Our District makes every effort to have all buses running on schedule every day; however, traffic, weather and other unforeseen circumstances may result in the changes in a school bus arrival times. Ongoing construction on Route 228 and numerous other local roadways that are traversed by our school buses every day, may also lead to delays. The District works closely with municipal and state transportation officials to address specific traffic issues in an attempt to minimize delays, wherever possible. However, in some cases, these delays cannot be avoided.
In addition, please note that as our younger students are getting accustomed to dismissal procedures at the individual elementary buildings, it may take additional time for students to load the buses at the end of the school day. At Mars Area Primary Center, busses are being loaded one at a time to ensure that all students are on the correct buses. On a typical day, all buses are loaded by 3:45 p.m., but during the first week of school, all buses my not leave the schools until 4 p.m. As the District establishes a dismissal routine and adjusts bus patterns, the times will improve gradually and the buses will be loaded much more quickly.
If, for any reason, your child’s school bus will be delayed for an extended period of time, the District will notify you as soon as possible. However, if a school bus is running more than 10-15 minutes late, parents/guardians are asked to contact A.J Myers & Sons Bus Garage at (724) 625-2032, so that they may contact the bus driver directly. Parents/guardians may also monitor a school buses’ progress using the Stopfinder Parent Engagement app. For more information about StopFinder, visit www.marsk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=794181&type=d&pREC_ID=2297983.
Finally, please note that no changes to bus schedules will be permitted through Thursday, Sept. 5. After that date, parents/guardians with any changes in bussing needs because of daycare arrangements or relocations may contact the District’s Transportation Office at [email protected]. The District will make every effort to accommodate bussing requests.