Policies
The bus ride is an extension of the school day. Riders are expected to follow School rules as well as the following bus rules that are designed for safety:
- Lower School students must sit at the front of the bus so they are more easily visible to the driver.
- Every student must choose a seat and remain seated until reaching their bus stop.
- Standing up, leaning into the aisle or moving to another seat is not permitted during the ride.
- Bringing milk or vending machine food onto the bus is not permitted.
- Sharing food or eating while riding the bus is not allowed without special permission from the bus driver or School Director.
- Students must keep their voices low so that the bus driver can hear what is going on around the school bus.
- Students must not extend any extremities (hands, arms, legs, heads) outside bus windows at any time.
Guests
Daily riders may occasionally have a guest ride home with them at no extra charge on a space-available basis. In Lower School, a guest rider must give a note to his or her advisor signed by his or her parent or guardian requesting permission. In Middle School, the parents or guardians of both the guest rider and daily route rider must call or send in a signed note to the Middle School Assistant prior to the intended ride, thereby indicating they know and approve of their child(ren)’s plans. Occasionally, it is possible for a regular bus rider to have more than one guest, (e.g. birthday party, sleepover, etc.) In this situation, the parent of the regular rider must also request permission from their School Director several days in advance to ensure it is in the best interests of all the students riding the bus and that there is space on the bus.
Transportation, Parking, Towing and No Idling Policy
Waynflete has adopted a Transportation and Parking Management Plan approved by the City of Portland. The School is part of a residential community; consequently, the arrival and departure of approximately 550 students each day has a significant impact on the neighborhood.
The School faces serious challenges in maintaining a safe and friendly environment for students and neighbors during drop-off and pick-up times. Behaviors such as blocking driveways, parking too close to intersections, parking against the flow of traffic, failure to use blinkers and speeding can create dangerous situations. Please drive slowly, park legally and obey all city parking signs and regulations at all times. Cars parked blocking a driveway or otherwise creating a situation considered hazardous by the City of Portland may be towed at the owner’s expense. Please turn off your vehicle when waiting in line to pick up your child and carpool whenever possible to help reduce the impact of traffic in the neighborhood and on the environment.
If you have questions regarding parking or transportation, please contact the Executive Assistant to the Head of School.
Parent Parking
Meetings/volunteer work during school day. Parents coming to campus for meetings or volunteer work are asked to park in legal parking areas on neighborhood streets. There is generally open parking along Spring and Vaughan Streets to the west of the School. Please note that some streets in the neighborhood are two-hour parking only. Do not park or “stand” on Storer Street.
Brief visits. Parents coming for brief visits after drop-off (e.g. to pick up a sick child or drop something off) may use on-campus parking if available in the Thomas House lot including Admission spaces and the five-minute pick-up zone on Emery Street. Do not park or “stand” or Storer Street.
Night event parking. Parents attending night events are encouraged to carpool and park in the school parking lots (behind Thomas House, adjacent to Emery and behind the Art Center) before parking on neighborhood streets.
Upper School Student and Vehicle Registration
All parents with students in Grades 10–12 must register their vehicles as part of their
family profile on the Veracross Parent Portal. The form should be updated during the year if the information changes. In order for the School to manage parking in the neighborhood, all 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students must register, even if they do not have their license or do not drive a car to school. Ninth grade students who drive a car to school must also complete the registration.
Student Driving Policy
Except as noted for athletes below, students are not permitted to ride with or transport other students during the school day or to school-sponsored activities unless they have received permission from the School. Seniors may only transport each other and only while exercising senior privileges during the school day and not to school-sponsored activities. Permission may be granted by the School, in its sole discretion, only if both the driver’s and the rider’s parents also give permission.
Waynflete provides bus transportation for team members to practices and home games at the Fore River Fields. Athletes, however, are permitted to give or receive rides from other athletes to and from practices and games unless their parents inform the School otherwise in writing. Parents should make their expectations clear to their children. An athlete who accepts a ride from or provides a ride to other athletes accepts complete responsibility at all times and the School will not accept liability for any accident or injury arising out of such transportation.
Student Parking
Student daytime parking is limited to the school side of Danforth Street, both sides of Emery Street Extension and Vaughan Street. Student parking is NOT allowed on the non-school side of Danforth Street or on Taylor Street. Cars parked blocking a driveway or otherwise creating a situation considered hazardous by the City of Portland may be towed at the owner’s expense.
