Dear parents,
As you know, the EEBIV has decided to resume in situ classes for nursery and primary pupils from 8 June 2020.
We would like to thank all those who took the time to participate in our questionnaire on your intention to use the transport as of June 8, despite the short deadline. You were over 800 to give us your opinion, and over 80% of you answered that you would like your children to go back to school if our transport service was back in operation.
We would like to announce the resumption of our transport service for nursery and primary pupils from next Monday, 8 June 2020, until Tuesday, 30 June 2020 inclusive, the end of the school year. Please note, however, that that there will be no canteen and extracurricular activities services.
In order to welcome your children in the best conditions and to allow them to travel in complete safety, our transport service has prepared, in consultation with DG HR and the Medical Service of the EC as well as the bus companies, a series of health measures. It is imperative that you take note of the following points before next Monday:
- Only children enrolled in the transport service for this school year 2019-2020 will be allowed to board our buses.
- The Wednesday tour is extended to the whole week, so the Wednesday bus numbers, and bus stops apply. The Wednesday bus routes for the school year 2019-2020 are therefore maintained. To check your timetable, please click on the following link: https://bit.ly/3dLlbAq
- The bus capacity will be considerably reduced, and priority will be given to nursery and primary pupils. Secondary students will be able to get on the buses, on the sole condition that places remain available in accordance with the school distancing as detailed in the drawing below.
- In the morning when boarding, if the bus has a rear or middle door, students will have to board through the rear door, without exception.
- The APEEE reserves the right to refuse access to the bus to any student presenting symptoms of Covid-19, as well as to any student refusing to respect the precautionary measures against Covid-19.
- Students will be expected to respect the places allocated to them. Students will always maintain the same seat on the bus.
- All students will have to wear a mask while on the bus: when getting on the bus, during the journey, and when getting off the bus. Children not wearing masks will not be allowed to board the bus. It is the responsibility of parents to provide a mask to their children and to show them how to wear and store it safely.
- All students should clean their hands before boarding the bus. Bus monitors will also be in possession of hydroalcoholic gel.
- All drivers and bus monitors will also be wearing masks. Bus monitors will be authorized to help nursery students fasten their seatbelts, put their masks back on if they fall off and get off the bus.
- Siblings will be able to sit next to each other.
- If the bus is already full when it arrives at your stop, please contact the transport office who will offer you an alternative solution.
- Upon arrival at school in the morning, children will get off the bus through the front door, according to our usual parking safety plan. They will then be taken care of by the school. Primary students get out of the bus first, 1m apart from each other. Nursery children will follow with the help of the bus monitors who will take them to building F where their teachers will pick them up.
- After having disinfected their hands as they leave class, students will be taken by their teachers to the buses on the parking lot at 12:30 pm. The children get on the bus through the front door 1m apart, wearing their masks.
- Buses will leave at 12:50 pm.
- On the return trip, children will get out through the rear door of the vehicle if there are two doors. Otherwise, they will exit through the front door.
- OIB central day-care centres will not be served. All our lines from the school will run to homes. Children who do not normally have a return trip home on Wednesday noon may benefit from a ride home. Please contact the transport office so that we can offer you a solution.
- A deep cleaning of the vehicles will be done after each trip, in accordance with the agreement with our bus companies.
- Below 30 degrees, the air-conditioning system will remain turned off.
- On July 1, 2020, P5 are invited to go to school on a voluntary basis, however, please note that there will be no school transport.
Thank you for complying with these measures to guarantee the best sanitary conditions for your children.
In addition, we would be grateful if you could remind your children how important it is to respect barrier measures and physical distancing. We are aware of how difficult this can be for them as they get ready to resume classes and meet their friends on the bus and we are counting on your collaboration.
We would like to remind you that, as legal representative of your children, if you allow your children to board, you recognise that the APEEE has only an obligation of means in terms of precautionary measures against contamination, and that we cannot be held responsible solely because of the hypothetical contamination of your children.
We have requested additional security measures from our bus companies, which has led to additional costs that we will try to keep to a minimum.
We thank you for your understanding and patience as our transport service is about to adopt this new way of working and thank you for your trust.
Eric Piettre, Director of the APEEE of Brussels IV and the transport team
transport@bru4.eu
02 474 10 94