Caroline County Public Schools  transports approximately 5,600 children on 57 buses to and from school, traveling over 3,300 miles every school day. We take great pride in our drivers, their training, and our equipment maintenance programs that are designed for the safety of our students.

Please check our FAQs for information. Should you have a concern that is not addressed below, we ask that you help us document issues by completing the Transportation Concern Form. Once submitted, the form will go to the Transportation Department to be reviewed. We look forward to helping you!

Transportation Concern Form

Weather Delays and Closings

Caroline County Public Schools is committed to making well-informed decisions about delays and closings, and communicating decisions as quickly and reliably as we can. Notifications about delays and closings go to contact numbers and emails taken directly from information provided by parents/guardians in PowerSchool. Staff contact information is taken directly from the Employee Access Center.

School delays and closings are shared via:

• a phone call, text, and email through our notification system

• a message on the CCPS Mobile App and the district website

• social media: Facebook (Caroline County Public Schools and all school pages), and Instagram (carolineschoolsmd)

• some local news and radio stations

If the possibility of inclement weather exists or is forecast, the transportation supervisor begins at 3:30 a.m. to review weather temperatures across the county and review national weather service forecasts.

Transportation staff conduct on-road observations of actual road and weather conditions across the county. State and county roads departments are contacted to determine road status, plans-of-actions, and time frames for treating road surfaces. Transportation staff contacts officials in surrounding school districts for information about current conditions in their counties and predicted road and weather conditions.

The transportation supervisor also contacts Caroline Department of Emergency Services, state police and the Caroline Sheriff's Office for their assessment of road conditions. School system maintenance staff are contacted about the status of school driveways and parking lots and to discuss their plan of action and time frame.

One last assessment of road and weather conditions is made at 4:30 a.m. and recommendations are discussed. At 4:45 a.m., all of the above information is reviewed and a recommendation is formulated based on the worst actual and/or predicted road/weather conditions with consideration given to what county road crews say they can accomplish by 6 a.m.

The Superintendent/designee is contacted at 4:45 a.m., provided an overview of the above information and given staff recommendations. The decision is made to open on time, open two hours late, or close for the day.

If the decision is to open schools two hours late, all of the above steps are repeated beginning at 5:30 a.m. By 7:30 a.m. the original decision to open two hours late may either be affirmed or changed to close.

Should inclement weather be predicted or develop for later in the day, a decision about closing schools early is made using the same resources as for a delayed opening.

At the bus stop, students are expected to:

• Arrive five minutes before the scheduled time.

• Maintain an orderly line in preparation to board the bus promptly, without shoving or pushing.

• Stay out of the roadway.

• Move toward the bus only after it stops and the driver has signaled that it is safe.

On the bus, students are expected to:

• Behave appropriately, just as if they were in a classroom.

• Keep the aisle and emergency door clear of obstructions.

• Keep their arms, feet, and head inside the bus at all times.

• Be seated and make room for others to sit as well. Once ridership has been adjusted at the beginning of the school year, standing is not permitted.

• Discard trash in appropriate containers.

At all times, students may not:

• Use cell phones to take photos or videos on the bus.

• Bring animals, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, weapons, glass containers, or explosives on the bus.

• Use vulgar language or gestures, fight, or engage in sexual harassment or other improper and/or illegal conduct.

• Throw any papers or objects in the bus or out the windows.

• Operate the emergency door without permission.

• Smoke, drink, eat, or play radios without headphones.

• Damage or deface any part of the bus.

Large objects that cannot be held on a student's lap, such as some musical instruments, class projects, etc., should not be transported on the bus. Parents should make other arrangements to transport such items to and from school.

Bus operators and attendants may assign specific seats to students.

John Bobb
Transportation Supervisor
410.479.3260  x1218

Garrett Shull
Coordinator of Transportation
410.479.3260  x1206

Lauren Roane
Transportation Specialist
410.479.3260  x1207