Transportation

• KINDERGARTEN / GRADE 1 - ALL KINDERGARTEN and FIRST Grade students MUST be met by an adult or sibling over age 14 by standing at the bus stop by someone they recognize. If no one is at the stop for your child, they will be kept on the bus and brought to the Cordello Avenue Elementary School to be monitored by the YES program facilitators until a parent can be contacted to pick them up. YES may charge a fee of $10 per hour for repeat incidents. If you would like your 1st grader to walk home from the bus on their own, please fill out the CHILD RELEASE AUTHORIZATION form. 
• GRADES 2-12 If your child is in a higher grade 2 – 12 and you do not want them released unless someone is there to meet them at the bus stop, please write a note to the Principal of your school and list the people you will have picking your child up at the stop and state that you do not want them release on their own. If this is in place and nobody is at the stop for your child, they will be kept on the bus and brought to the Cordello Avenue Elementary School to be monitored by the YES program facilitators.

Parents of special education students must have someone at home to receive their child.  If you would like your child released from the bus on their own, please fill out the CHILD RELEASE AUTHORIZATION form.

If you must cross the street, wait for the driver to give you the universal crossing signal, and then cross at least fifteen (15) feet from the front of the bus so that the driver can see you.

The School Bus is an Extension of the Classroom, and the building administrator will administer discipline. ALL school board policies that apply to student conduct and other student-related activities apply to the School Bus.

Bus Discipline Procedure: 

• First Offense - The driver will inform the student of the discipline program. The student will be given a verbal warning for misconduct. Every effort will be made to solve the problem prior to reporting the student to the principal.
• Second Offense - The student will be given another verbal warning for misconduct.
• Third Offense - The driver will assign a seat.
• Fourth Offense - The driver will submit a discipline report to the school. The student's building administrator will contact the parents/guardians to inform them of the referral and provide details. 

1. First disciplinary referral – Conference with School Principal and notification to the parent to discuss what happens should we receive a second referral
2. Second disciplinary referral- Bus privileges suspended for 3 days.
3. Third disciplinary referral-   Bus privileges suspended for 5 days.
4. Fourth disciplinary referral- Bus privileges suspended for 10 day or the remainder of the semester.

The building administrator has the authority to skip steps for serious violations, or to repeat them if the misconduct is not a serious safety violation.

The normal hours of operation for the Central Islip Schools Transportation Department are 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. on school days. You may reach this office by calling (631) 348-5000 x1059

After hours, you may contact the bus transportation companies directly until 6:00 p.m.

• Large Buses (Suffolk Transportation) – (631) 737-0695  x4614
• Mini Buses (Suffolk Transportation) – (631) 737-0695  x4614
• County buses:
  • WE Transport 631-242-4289
  • Swissport (631) 737-_0600

• Elementary Students should be at the bus stop at least 30 minutes before the school start time during the first week of school.
• Middle & High School Students should be at the bus stop at least 40 minutes before the school start time during the first week of school.

IMPORTANT: After route times are established, students should be standing and waiting at the bus stop (not waiting in a car or in their house) at least 10 minutes prior to regular pick-up time. Be prepared to wait for the bus up to 20 minutes to allow for daily fluctuations and traffic changes. Parents are responsible for the student’s transportation to and from the bus stop.

At the beginning of the school year a Bus tag will be provided for kindergarten students listing their bus stop. This is the only stop at which your child will be picked up and dropped off each day unless alternate drop off / childcare requests are approved. See below for how to request an alternate bus stop.

Our mission is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transportation for our student passengers.  Safety is our top priority.  Please take a few minutes to review our website for important information. We ask parents and guardians to discuss and support our bus safety rules and procedures with your children in order to ensure a safe ride to and from school. 

• Written request for transportation to or from a Day Care Provider / Child Care facility must be submitted in writing using the Babysitter Form.
• Request must be received by April 1, of the preceding school year
• Approved Day Care transportation does not carry over from year to year. If you would like your child care transportation to approval to be effective in a subsequent school year, you must resubmit a new request to be considered for approval before the April 1, deadline of the upcoming school year.
• All requests submitted after April 1 will be reviewed on a case by case basis and may be denied
• A Private childcare provider (babysitter) must be within the homeschool area for transportation to be approved.  Central Islip will provide transportation to most facility programs ie. YES, Community Learning Academy or Learn & Play, etc.  Please check with transportation before enrolling your child to confirm.

If special transportation is required, a doctor's note must be submitted to SCHOOL NURSE This type of bus request is typically temporary and Physicians should indicate a start and end date on the request when possible.

Requests must be received no later than April 1 for the coming school year. Renewal requests are required each year.

New residents have 30 days to apply for transportation and must submit: NEW REGISTRANTS- Application for Private or Parochial Services

While Waiting for the Bus

• Arrive early to your designated bus stop.
• Wear bright clothes so you can be seen.
• Stay off the road,
• Wait for the bus in an orderly manner.
• Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before boarding.

Once You Are on the Bus

• Keep your hands and head inside the bus at all times.
• Open windows only with permission.  Never extend or throw objects out the window.
• No eating or sharing food on the bus.
• Keep the bus clean.
• Talk softly.
• Remain in your seat while the bus is in motion.
• Keep aisles clear.
• Objects larger than those, which can fit on your lap, are not permitted on the bus.
• Double check to see that you have all of your belongings (lunch, books, etc.) before you leave the bus.
• Listen, respect and obey the driver.

Once You’ve Left the Bus

• Get off at your designated stop.
• Get out of the road quickly.
• Cross the road only when necessary.
• To cross the road, walk at least ten steps from the door to the front of the bus.
• Make eye contact with the bus driver and wait until the driver gives you the signal to cross.
• Walk quickly, double checking both ways yourself.
• Don’t walk back unless signaled by the driver.
• Go straight home by a pre-determined route (discuss this with your parents or guardians).

Central Islip School District provides transportation for students well in excess of what the New York State law requires:

• Pre-K – All students are offered transportation
• Elementary Students (K-6) living more than ½ mile from the school are eligible for transportation;
• Middle School Students (7-8) living more than 1 mile from the school are eligible for transportation;
• High School Students (9-12) living more than 1.5 miles from the school are eligible for transportation;
• Non-Public – Private and Parochial Schools (K-12) will be provided transportation if the students school is within a 15-mile distance from the student’s residence.

Bus routes and stops are not posted on our website. The assigned bus and bus stop will be posted to the Parent Portal prior to the start of school every year.

Bus notification will be made available on the Parent Portal for large bus students.  We will post information regarding bus stops, bus routes and pick-up times in August each year. Schools will mail out bus tags to students in pre-K and Kindergarten.  Mini-bus students will receive a home visit from their bus drivers at the end of August.

Students should be at the bus stop at least 10 minutes prior to pick up time.

Transportation for a student is set up so that the student is picked up and dropped off at the same location five days a week. The pick-up and drop-off point may be different but must remain consistent throughout the school week. If your child needs transportation to and from a babysitter, the babysitter must be in the school attendance zone. Requests for students to be transported to a friend's house or different location for the day are not permitted.

Regular bus drills are conducted at least 3 times a year to ensure children are aware of what to do in an emergency on the school bus.

Transportation MUST BE NOTIFIED of ANY CHANGES by the FIRST FRIDAY IN AUGUST for Transportation to begin on time.  Late notification WILL RESULT in a DELAY of their BUS ASSIGNMENT.  This includes address change, babysitter change and any new requests.

Central Islip Schools uses Remind/Robo-call and media outlets for inclement weather notifications including delayed openings and early release dismissals.

Central Islip School District buses are now equipped with cutting-edge GPS technology called WheresTheBus that lets you know precisely when your child’s bus will arrive at your bus stop. This application is free and will provide up-to-the-minute bus arrival time and location information for all Central Islip school buses.  By using the WheresTheBus app, you will be able to wait for the bus in the comfort of your own home and eliminate the stress of rushing to the bus stop unnecessarily.  

WheresTheBus Overview - English
WheresTheBus Overview - Spanish

The WheresTheBus application is simple to set up:

1. Download the WheresTheBus app from the App Store (iOS/Apple) or Google Play Store  (Android).
2. You will be prompted to create an account.
3. Select Central Islip from the dropdown menu and provide your student’s information.  
4. Once your student’s information is verified, it will take up to 3 school days for a student’s name, pick up and drop off times to appear in the WheresTheBus App.  
5. Log in to the app from any Internet enabled device (smartphone, tablet, PC, iPod) and access real-time bus information for your student(s).  

Technical support and questions on signing up your child are available at support@wheresthebus.com.