In what situations should a school bus be evacuated immediately?

MANDATORY SCHOOL BUS EVACUATION SITUATIONS: Evacuate immediately when remaining on the bus is MORE dangerous than leaving. ALWAYS EVACUATE for: FIRE or risk/smell of fire (fire spreads fast); the bus is IN or NEAR WATER (or could roll into water); the bus is in a position where it could be HIT by another vehicle (stalled on tracks, in a traffic lane on a curve/hill); HAZARDOUS MATERIALS spill or threat nearby (toxic fumes); a stalled bus on RAILROAD TRACKS (evacuate immediately, move away in the direction of any oncoming train so debris from a collision goes away from evacuees);

Decision: For other situations (minor breakdown in a safe location), it may be safer to keep students on the bus (more protected from traffic/weather) — the driver judges whether evacuation or staying is safer.

Procedure: If evacuating, direct students to the safest exits away from the hazard and traffic, move them to a safe location, account for all students.

Preparation: Know evacuation procedures, conduct drills; the decision to evacuate weighs the danger of staying vs leaving — fire, water, collision risk, and hazmat are the clear cases for immediate evacuation; this is a critical school bus safety topic.