Portland Public Schools

Dear PPS Families, 

As we prepare to have students back in buildings, the PPS Transportation Department would like to share some reminders and updates to help get your student to school safely and on time for hybrid in-person learning. K-5 student bus routes and bus stops will be available on the PPS Transportation website on March 29th. Routes for other grades will be available the week of April 12.

To limit the potential for COVID exposure and minimize the number of students on PPS buses, we ask parents/guardians, when possible, to transport or walk their student(s) to and from school. To further reduce congestion at schools, we are asking parents of older students to drop off their student a couple blocks away and let the student walk safely to school from there. 

Additionally, please review this Daily Self Screening Checklist for symptoms, reporting and stay home requirements before allowing your student on the bus.

Traveling To and From School for Hybrid In-Person Instruction:

• When traveling on a bus, students will be required to wear a mask unless a student’s disability does not enable them to do so. 
• Food and beverage consumption are not allowed while on the bus.
• Select windows in front and rear will be open to promote optimal airflow and ventilation. Buses are also equipped with HEPA air filtration systems to remove particles in the air.
• Students will load the bus by filling rear rows first. They will unload from the front rows to the rear to maintain physical distancing. 
• Students will be asked to sit one student per seat. To maximize space, siblings may be asked to sit together.
• Buses will be cleaned after each route and again at the end of the school day. 
• Kindergarten students are required to be met at the bus stop for drop off. Kindergarten students are required to wear a yellow bus tag to let drivers know they must be met.
• 1st-3rd grade students should wear a white tag to let drivers know the student’s correct stop, but they are not required to be met. If families prefer to meet their 1st-3rd graders, their students are allowed to wear a yellow tag, as well.
• IMPORTANT: If there is not a parent at the bus stop, students with yellow tags will be returned to school. 
• The school can print bus tags for students and bus drivers will also have extras if needed. Parents needing their student’s bus tag updated should contact their school.
• If your student is in high school and rides Trimet, their Hop Pass is currently active and will remain so until the end of the school year.

PPS has taken safety precautions for our students in the form of the following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s): Bus/School Entry Screening, Clean and Disinfect Vehicles, Bus Loading/Unloading. 

For more information, please visit the PPS Transportation website. You can also contact us directly via email at transportation@pps.net or by phone at 503-916-6901. We have also created a short video that will showcase your student’s daily expected experience that you can view here. 

Thank you.