2022-23 FCS Elementary School Afternoon School Bus Drop Off Information

Greetings Forsyth County Schools Parents & Students!

As we start the 22-23 school year, please know that our first priority is to make sure your child is safe & secure on the school bus at all times. This means making sure all FCS students are getting off the school bus correctly in the afternoon – either on their own, with an older sibling, or with the bus driver releasing the student to the appropriate parent/adult guardian at the bus stop.

With the goal of safety in mind, FCS Transportation requires that all families with children who will be riding the school bus complete a short and simple verification process before the start of the 2022-23 school year. Links to complete the 2022-23 FCS School Bus Verification Form can be found on the Forsyth County School website at https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/51826. This verification process is NOT required for students riding FCS Special Education Transportation. Special Education Transportation will continue to be scheduled through your school’s Special Education Department along with FCS Special Education Transportation Supervisors.

Once school bus verification is completed for a student, the parent/guardian will see the bus route #, stop & pick-up times in Parent Portal.  Parents of elementary Red tagged students will have access to the FCS Student Release Pass for their student(s) in Parent Portal.  PLEASE NOTE: only RED tag students are issued a release pass.  As in previous years, all 2022-23 FCS school bus routes, bus stop locations, and morning school bus pickup times can be found on the FCS Transportation website at https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1400.

Continuing this year, FCS bus drivers will be providing each FCS elementary school student riding the school bus with a color-coded SOAR Student Badge Tag. This color-coded badge will provide all FCS school bus drivers with individualized information for each student that is intended to ensure the student is released from the school bus properly every afternoon. The SOAR Student Badge Tags have been modified for the 2022-23 school year with colored badge holders to make them weatherproof and reduce damage from wear and tear. The Student SOAR Badge will be attached to the student’s book bag with a clear silicone loop, which allows parents to remove it to clean or replace the book bag. It is important that the Student SOAR Badge is attached to the book bag prior to boarding the school bus and remains intact while the child is being transported. The Badge Holders are color-coded as follows:

GREEN TAG: 

The GREEN Tag Holder identifies a student allowed to get off the bus and walk home from the bus stop unaccompanied. Students identified with a GREEN tag do not require an FCS Student Release Pass, and will be released from the afternoon bus stop without an adult present.

YELLOW TAG:

The YELLOW Tag Holder identifies a student allowed to get off the bus and walk home from the bus stop with an older sibling. Students identified with a YELLOW Tag will not be issued an FCS Student Release Pass, but will only be released from the bus when their older sibling is on the bus to walk home with them. The older sibling must have their Green tag affixed to their book bag.

RED TAG:

The RED Tag Holder identifies a student allowed to get off the bus ONLY when the parent or an adult authorized by the parent is at the afternoon bus stop to receive the student and walk the student home. Students identified with a RED Tag Holder will ONLY be released from the afternoon bus stop to a parent/adult who shows the bus driver their FCS Student Release Pass. The parent(s) of a student with a RED tag will be provided access to retrieve a FCS Student Release Pass for their child before the start of school in Parent Portal. It is the parent’s responsibility to manage their FCS Student Release Pass and be sure that the adult at the afternoon bus stop to pick up the child has a copy of the pass (either electronic or printed). The FCS Release Pass will work exactly like an elementary school car rider number – in order for the bus driver to allow a student with a RED tag off the bus in the afternoon, the adult receiving the student at the bus stop must show their FCS Student Release Pass to the driver.

Student Release Pass Instructions

FCS Student Release Pass

If you have any questions or would like assistance, please contact your school's FCS District Supervisor.

Welcome back for another fantastic school year in Forsyth County Schools, we look forward to a great school year with you on the school bus!