Do children have to wear seat belts?
All of our school busses are equipped with seat belts. There is no absolute answer about whether a child should wear a seat belt or not on a school bus. We have included a position paper by a national organization on this issue and also the district policy on seat belts in a separate section of this handbook. We encourage you to read this position paper over, understand the policy, and make your own decision on this matter. What does compartmentalization mean? “Compartmentalization” is an occupant protection strategy unique to school busses. Student riders are surrounded by a compartment of energy absorbing material – 4″ thick foam seats, seat frames that bend to absorb crash impact, a vehicle designed to absorb energy. The idea is the crash forces will be dissipated or absorbed before they get to the student passengers. Compartmentalization is a passive strategy. It exists without any action on the part of the children or extra supervision by the drivers.
