News From BTC

School bus drivers get up at 0 dark thirty in the morning. They make around 93 visual, and manual safety checks to ensure the bus is safe to be on the road to pick up and drop off students. They have the potential for 71 future lawyers, doctors, teachers or president of the United States in their care. Their head is on a swivel for 6+ hours watching out for the millions of other drivers who can’t see the BIG YELLOW BUS, or the STUDENTS Crossing the road. They carry the safety of all the students on board on their shoulders. and they are so much more. They tie shoes, fix zippers & backpacks. Pick up spilled lunch or clean up after a sick child. They care deeply, forms bonds of trust, set expectations, and give praise. They are the first one your child sees in the morning for school, and the last one they see after school. A bus driver shows concern & empathy, enjoy the silly jokes, and worry about the sadness on faces. They miss an absent child or morn those who moved without a word. They will pray for them, laugh with them and hurt with them. We get to see them grow up and develop into responsible adults. Just to get up and do it all over again the next day.

What a privilege it is to be a School Bus Driver and rewarding in many ways.

What started last spring as local and state decisions to require masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on school buses has turned into a federal mandate. However, following President Joe Biden’s Executive Order No. 13998, “Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel” last month, student passengers of both publicly and privately operated school buses now fall under the mask requirement.

The CDC confirmed that masks are required for any onboard passengers and those operating the school buses. Therefore, not wearing a mask is in direct violation of federal law and according to the CDC could result in criminal penalties.

However, there are some exceptions. The order states that the mask mandate does not apply while; communicating with someone who is hearing impaired; / using oxygen masks on an aircraft; / is otherwise “unconscious” for any reason other than sleeping; / and when required to verify one’s identity. There is a no eating or drinking on the school bus rule this is in effect due to a choking hazard, therefore the mask stays on.

It also does not apply to anyone under the age of 2, a person with a disability who cannot wear a mask or cannot safely wear a mask because of the disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and a person for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety or job duty, as determined by the relevant workplace safety guidelines or federal regulations.

The intent of this is just to get people to wear a mask, not to pressure civil or criminal penalties, it’s to get people to wear a mask, to prevent our transportation workers from getting sick, and to prevent other folks in public transportation from getting sick.

With school up and running is it possible to get back to normal? The new normal is wearing mask’s and social distancing. We have implemented new cleaning procedures for each and every route following the guidelines set by the CDC. We are all looking forward to getting the Covid Vaccine as soon as it’s available. Bus drivers are in the 1B tier So it should be very soon. Keep everyone safe and healthy. Wash your hands before you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Use hand sanitizer when ever possible.

Should we ever get back to normal now that the vaccinations are coming out you should still be careful and safe. The cold is starting to set in making it hard for all drivers. Slick roads are coming and trying to keep warm please take the time to scrape your windows and give your vehicle a little time to warm up. The buses are still the safest vehicle on the road because of our excellent Drivers and Maintenance team. We are hoping to get to school in force coming this new year of 2021.

Wishing all of you a great New Year and happy holidays to all. BTC.

Here come the Hybrid learning. Get ready get set and Go back to school. A lot has been changed to get us back to school safely. Everyday is like a fresh start to a new beginning. We are following the state guidelines for cleaning and preparing our vehicles for school everyday before, after and between routes. Students need to wear a mask at all times on the vehicles. No exceptions. Temperature checks and questionnaires will be enforced with our drivers, and at school for the students. We are all striving to keep this Hybrid learning as safe and easily attainable as possible. Btc thanks you for all your help and support.

Go Hybrid

School is in session with online learning, and some special needs students in school. We are doing what we can to bring lunch delivery’s, and getting are special needs students to and from school. Looking forward to the Covid virus settling down and getting back to school in full force. October is the next date for reevaluating the school schedule’s. Stay safe. Wear your mask. Wash your hands often, use hand sanitizer. Follow the guidelines set by the CDC . Covid 19 doesn’t care who as long as it can spread.

Hello everyone!

It’s JULY!!!!  Another holiday celebrated during the COVID-19 health crisis.  How different everything is now.  For some that is almost unbearable.  We tend to get used to our “ruts” we build for ourselves.  The disappointments of things not being the same can really way down on a person.  As the change on the outside of your circle of influence starts to shrink your inner circle. We must change ourselves and that is a hard decision to make.

This doesn’t mean that you have to like what is happening or even accept it 100%, it means you must come to terms with the current situation and adapt.  When we return to driving this fall, it will be different.  We are working closely with the district developing a plan that will be put into place to help protect us and our passengers from furthering the spread of this virus.  We have been trying out different sanitizers, wipes and disinfecting aerosols.  It will take everyone doing their part to make it all work.  Yes, it will require more effort from our drivers to keep up with the new plan but what idea or new process doesn’t.  Most of what we will be doing we have already done in the past but more emphasis will be put on cleaning protocols.

There is no denying the seriousness of COVID-19 and the impact this virus has had on our communities and economy. After seeing the global ramifications that lie in the wake of COVID-19. We at Barrington Transportation Hope you can take the steps to keep yourself and your family safe and Healthy.

Our Btc Family & School district Employees, Our Parents and Our Students are very important to all of us. We continue to deliver the lunches every Tuesday and Thursday following the district 220 guidelines, and we are very thankful for all the help, support and donations to all the students and family’s that really need it in these pandemic days now and the time ahead of us. It shows us that Hope is alive.

Through ingenuity and perseverance, celebrations are still happening.  Normal is out the window and the new normal is blowing in on the wind.  We as ordinary persons are asked to perform extraordinary feats of courage and strength.  The class of 2020 is the only one of it’s kind and they are off and running.

You can only look to the future through this new way of life.  Yes, there will be challenges but who else but this graduating class has been prepped for such a time as this.  They have already surmounted great physical and emotional challenges.  They have learned many life lessons earlier than we had to.  They are more than ready to jump into the world and make a difference. 

The term 2020 is used for measuring vision.  I can not even imagine what will come of these graduates with that 2020 vision.  They have the opportunity to create a new normal and that is exciting for all of us.

All is well here so far. We are doing everything we can to keep our employees safe. Hoping all of you are doing the same. Follow the guidelines set by the Governor / State of Illinois and Federal Government. Wear your masks / gloves, keep 6 feet apart and disinfect surfaces on a regular basis. Stay healthy and follow your Doctors orders.