I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
http://neatoday.org/2013/11/05/bus-drivers-work-to-strengthen-trespassing-laws-on-school-buses/
Basically, a parent stepping up onto the bus uninvited can be considered trespassing or unauthorized and can put students lives in jeopardy. We go through background checks in order to work with students and transport them. Consider this, would you like a random person to step up on your child's bus while the bus was at a different stop? What if that person had a gun or a negative motive to harm children. Point is, we take all precautions to protect the kids on our buses at all costs and if that means asking a parent to stay off the bus, then we do what we have to do. That being said, if I have a sleeping pre-school age child and the child is not wanting to wake up and voluntarily walk off the bus, I will also allow his/her parent to come and get the child, but usually the child is in the front seat to where the parent does not need to go further back in the bus and I will usually place myself between the seats so that the parent can only go as far as their child only.
That would be a question for your supervisor or your boss at your company or bus yard. Every company or district has a different policy on the matter. Check with them and they should be able to tell you what the policy is.
Short answer, yes, all the seats are visible with the mirror inside the bus. Long answer, sometimes the front two seats are hard to see depending on the angle of the mirror and adjustment of the mirror according to the drivers preference but as those seats are right up front right by the driver, those kids cannot get away with anything without the driver knowing about it.
Sorry for the delay in the answering of this question - Technically, we shouldn't be slamming on the brakes, but that being said, your behavior on the bus should reflect how you want to be treated.. If you feel you are being mistreated by her, then report her. Some districts do not allow their students to listen to music on the bus because it can distract students in an emergency. My policy is headphones in, or the music is off, I don't want to hear what you're listening to. Additionally if you're being loud and obnoxious, she can tell you to quiet down because your being loud can be a distraction to her.
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If I remember correctly, it is a law that buses should be on the right hand side of the road on a 4 lane highway if they have to stop at a railroad crossing. This is two fold. One it is safer for kids in general as most people in the USA pass on the left so faster traffic will automatically go around on the left, and two, should the bus become disabled at any point the door is on the right hand side so evacuation of the bus will be easier than having to stop traffic to let kids exit the bus in an emergency on the tracks.
The bus driver has the authority to assign seats as he or she sees fit so yes they have the authority to assign seats. As for your daughters desire to sit alone, it could be that there is plenty of room when she gets on or off the bus, but there may not be room as the route progresses. You also don't know if there are other kids who get on or off before or after your daughter that take up the spare seats. It is not always practical to have a kid sitting by themselves. Additionally homework should be done at home, not on the bus.
If its digital it varies. If its VHS cassette tape typically record time is 6 to 8 hours of video tape so that usually will be one or two days depending on how short or long the route is.
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