If a child is tampering with safety devices (rear door latch, emergency exit windows), how should that be handled?
• Orient preschoolers to the bus, just as teachers would orient children to the classroom and to the rules of the classroom. In language that children can understand, explain the function of the safety devices, when they are used, and who will be using them. • Review instructions on emergency exits prior to emergency evacuation drills including a demonstration of their use. Gear it to the children’s level of understanding. • If children are secured properly in child safety restraints and not riding in emergency exit rows, they cannot reach rear door latches and emergency exit windows. Refer to Guidelines for Transporting Preschool Children in School Buses, NHTSA web page http://www.nhtsa.gov. Dealing with It: The bus aide explains to the child why those devices should not be handled (alarm goes off, it is dangerous to all the passengers, etc.). Give the child something else that is interesting to do. Last resort – move the child to another seat closer to the driver or ride next to the
