Bus riders return to school with protocols in place to curb virus spread

La Conner Schools is back on the road to in-person instruction.

The proof is in the familiar yellow buses that have begun picking up and delivering students along a half-dozen routes in the school district.

The buses began rolling Feb. 1 as students in lower grades returned to campus under a plan that will see older students gradually phased into La Conner Elementary by the end of the month.

The sight of school buses with flashing lights on La Conner area roads is fairly common, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made necessary an even greater focus on safety than has previously been the case with student transportation.

“Every bus has two adults, a driver and a (health) screener,” La Conner Elementary Principal Heather Fakkema told the Weekly News last week. “The screener asks screening questions, takes students’ temperatures and gives out wristbands – the same procedure as our health screening booth on campus – if they pass the screening.”

Those who do not pass the health screening are sent home, said Fakkema.

Due to COVID-19, she said, no detail related to student health and safety is overlooked.

“Each student has an assigned seat on the bus, only one per seat except for siblings,” Fakkema said, “and they enter and leave the bus at a six-foot distance.”

La Conner Schools Transportation Director Kim Pedroza said the district transported around 90 students last week. That number will grow as higher grade students return.

Pre-school, kindergarten and first grade students plus those attending the learning hub were transported as of last Friday.

“Next week,” said Pedroza, “we are adding second and third graders, which is approximately 40 more students.

“The week after that,” she said, “we’re adding fourth and fifth graders with approximately 40 more students.”

Pedroza, like Fakkema, said student seating and spacing are assigned based on state requirements.

Bus riders and staff members must wear cloth face coverings or acceptable alternatives, according to detailed procedures issued by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Frequently touched surfaces, including the tops and backs of seats, must be cleaned and disinfected.

It’s all part of a new normal designed to curb spread of the coronavirus while providing students the safest route to school possible.