Car Rider Information

The school day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:35 p.m. The safety of all our children is our top priority.

Arrival: Students are not to arrive before 8:35 a.m. Car riders are to enter the building through door number 24 before 8:55 a.m. For your child’s safety, children are to remain inside your vehicle until school staff signals for the students to enter the school building.

Dismissal: At 3:25 p.m., all car riders must be picked up promptly between 3:25 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. each afternoon. Car rider numbers must be visible to staff. Students are not allowed to be picked up in the office between 3:15 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. If you do not have a car rider tag, please call the office before 3:00 p.m. to request a one day temporary car rider pass. Any student that does not have a car rider tag or car rider pass will have to be picked up in the office at the conclusion of the car rider line at approximately 3:40 p.m. to ensure student safety.

For more car rider line tips and procedures, click here.

Students that reside in Creekside Apartments will be dismissed from Door 5 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Vehicles are not allowed in this area. Parent/Guardian will be required to show picture ID if using door 5. A parent/guardian should be there to meet the child. Bus riders will be dismissed at 3:35 p.m.

After School Programs: Communities in Schools operates a before and after school program for students who need childcare. For more information, click here.

St. Michael’s Daycare in Charlestown provides transportation to and from school.

Bus Rider Information

To sign up for bus transportation, please click here.

To help your child be ready for bus transportation, please teach them the following:

If your student misses the bus at their regular stop, do not follow the bus to the next stop and let your child walk/run beside the bus to get on. The driver cannot see the student in the danger zone, especially if it is dark and could possibly hit them as they pull away from the stop. Take your student to school.
Make children stay at least 10 feet away from the bus until they begin to enter. Children will be able to see the driver and the driver can see them.
If children must cross the street to the bus they should cross the street 10 feet (five giant steps) in front of the bus where they can see the driver and the driver can see them.
Warn children that, if they drop something, they should never pick it up. Instead, they should tell the driver and follow the driver’s instructions. If they bend over to pick up a dropped object, they might not be seen by the driver and could be hurt if the driver pulls away from the stop.
Remind children to look to the right before they step off the bus. Car drivers in a hurry sometimes try to sneak by the bus on the right hand side.
Teach your child to secure loose drawstrings and other objects that may get caught in the handrail or door of the bus as they are exiting.
If you meet your child at the bus stop after school, wait on the side where the child will be dropped off, not across the street. Children can be so excited at seeing you after school that they may dash across the street and forget the safety rules.

Transportation Guidelines and Procedures Per Student Handbook

Transportation eligibility is determined by a student’s home address. GCCS does not allow alternating addresses during the week. Students are allowed one pick up location and one drop off location every day. In other words, the morning address and the afternoon address can be different, but both addresses must be within the assigned school boundary and must be consistent each day.
Pre-school and special education students must have a designated, responsible greeter at the stop when the bus arrives to drop off. If the greeter is not at the stop when the bus arrives, the child will be taken back to the school or the nearest police department as a safe haven. Repeated failure to greet students at the stop may result in the loss of transportation. Note: all other students, Kindergarten to 12th grade, will be dropped at their stop; it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to decide if they need to greet their child.
Students must ride to their assigned bus, to their assigned stop. All stops are assigned by the Director of Transportation or designee. Bus drivers are not authorized to assign or change stops. Students are prohibited from riding to (or from) another student’s home/bus stop. Parents must make alternative arrangements for transportation if an emergency arises. Schools will not issue BUS PASSES unless approved before 2:00 PM by the Director of Transportation.
Students must be at their assigned stop location five (5) before the scheduled pickup time.
Non-students, including parents, are not permitted on a school bus without explicit consent from a school official. Entering without permission constitutes criminal trespass, a Level 6 Felony (I.C. 35-43-2-2).
All transportation requests or new students should be directed to the transportation office by using the GCCS website http://transportation.gcs.k12.in.us. For new or changed assignments, an online transportation form must be filled out and the transportation request may take up to 3 school days.
If you reside in a No Transportation Zone (NTZ), GCCS will not provide transportation. If you reside in a Limited Transportation Zone (LTZ), GCCS will provide limited pick up points