Transportation Services is strengthening its focus on student and driver safety with the implementation of a new practice to address student conduct concerns on the bus.  

The practice, which is being implemented this fall, addresses the procedures that bus drivers and Transportation Services leadership must follow when student conduct issues arise.  

The new policy requires drivers to complete a Student Conduct Form and submit it to their terminal manager when a student incident — such as eating and drinking, fighting, or defacing the bus — occurs.  

All students are required to follow Bus Rules, as outlined in the district’s Student Code of Conduct, when riding an HISD school bus.  

“By talking with your child about the rules of the bus and the importance of being on your best behavior when riding the bus, it helps greatly in ensuring our students arrive to school and home safely each day,” Transportation Services General Manager John Wilcots IV said. 

The new practice requires department managers to review the report with the driver who submitted it and pull bus security footage to confirm the violation. Once confirmed, the department manager will notify the school principal of the violation and any recommended courses of action. If the principal does not act on the recommendation, the issue will be escalated to the Schools Office.

Under the former policy, drivers were required to complete Student Conduct Forms and submit them directly to the student’s school for resolution.