Bus Monitor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Pennsylvania School For The Deaf

Title: Bus Monitor

Reports to: Transportation Manager

Employment Information: Part time, 10-month, bargaining unit position

Responsibilities:

• Transport students to and from school, following a pre-planned route according to a definite time schedule (AM & PM routes).
• Report on time to ride the bus for AM & PM routes (e.g., 15 minutes before scheduled leave time).
• Assist students on and off the bus in a safe and appropriately caring manner.
• Assist students in properly buckling/unbuckling seat belts, car seats or harness; make sure they are snug, but that breathing is not restricted.
• Understand the special physical (i.e. medical), developmental and behavioral health needs of your students, and learn how to appropriately meet these needs on the bus.
• Maintain discipline and safety on the bus for all the students; SAFETY IS THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN!
• Learn how to effectively interact with your students in a positive and supportive manner (e.g., not punitive).
• Remain alert to students behavior and needs; no social (e.g., non-work related) use of cell phones while students are on the bus.
• Promptly report any dangerous or significant inappropriate behaviors of student to your supervisor and other staff, using the INCIDENT REPORT FORM.
• Check under, around and on the seats (including in car seat folds) for children, clothing, school and other bags, and hearing aids, cochlear implants and other equipment that may have been left on the bus and turn in immediately to appropriate staff.
• Assist the driver in providing accurate AM/PM attendance, by using attendance sheet.
• Make certain all students have safely departed the bus before staff leaves the bus.
• Distribute notes and information to parents as directed by transportation office.
• Communicate in a clear and positive manner with all PSD staff and parents regarding students’ behavior on the bus.
• Participate in school bus safety drills (e.g., fire evacuation drills).
• Participate in sign language classes, as needed, and behavior support training.
• Familiarize yourself with directions for all routes to and from school campus to assist driver.
• Complete annual CPR, First Aid and other required training.

Communication Skills:

• Ability to read and comprehend necessary instructions, announcements, letters and memos.
• Ability to complete accurate and timely IRs.
• Ability to effectively communicate (through sign language and, when able, using speech) in one-on-one and small group situations with students, staff and parents.
• Ability to work and interact effectively with deaf students and staff.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment:

• Regularly required to reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl and stand.
• Ability to move around on bus, change seats, use sign language and be able to communicate with deaf or hard of hearing students.
• Ability to lift and/or carry young students or those with physical disabilities on and off the bus.
• Physical ability to lift and carry from 40-60 pounds, as well as bend, kneel, stoop, climb, crouch, grasp, walk, reach overhead, and stand as many as four hours per day.
• Physical agility to push/pull, squat, twist and turn.
• Ability to enter and exit school bus or other vehicles via emergency door.
• Physical dexterity to perform the duties including but not limited to: Push open bus door (approximately 25 pounds of force) and pull closed bus door (approximately 10 pounds of force).
• Be a passenger in a vehicle for at least one hour continuously.
• Lift a fire extinguisher to desk chair height to extinguish fires (approximately nine pounds).