Dismissal

At 3:35 PM, dismissal begins for those students riding District buses home. No student is permitted back to his/her classroom once dismissal procedures begin. Please remind your child(ren) to be responsible by having all necessary items ready when bus dismissal begins. The students are directed by staff to their assigned buses as bus numbers are announced over our school intercom system. It is important that your child be familiar with his/her bus number and bus stop. Each student riding a bus receives a bag tag with bussing information recorded on it. Please make sure the tag remains on the students’ bags throughout the year and notify the school office if changes need to be made to the tags.

Students must ride the bus to which they have been assigned by the Penn Hills School District. They must also get on and off at their assigned bus stop. Permanent changes to bussing or bus stops must be done through the Penn Hills School District Transportation Office.

For temporary changes to bus transportation, Parent/Guardians must submit a written request to the school office at the start of the school day that the change needs to occur. Students will then be issued a Temporary Bus Pass for the day.

If your child will be a daily car rider, please complete the attached Car Rider Registration Form. On this form, you must include the model, make and license plate of any car belonging to an adult who may be picking up your child. You must return the form to Penn Hills Elementary. For the 25-26 school year. We will again be using the Pikmykid App for our car riders. We will also be available to help throughout the first week of school.

How to sign up and use the PikMyKid app

PikMyKid Parent App Guide (English and Spanish directions)

Car rider drop-off and pick-up will occur at the front entrance of Penn Hills Elementary School. Please follow the posted signage and remember to drive with caution throughout this area to protect the safety of our students. Please ONLY allow your child to exit/enter on the passenger side of the car along the sidewalk near the front entrance.

Morning drop-off begins at 8:45AM.

Students will not be permitted into the building before this time, as there are no adults on duty to supervise them. The. late arrival bell will ring at 9:05 AM, at which time all students are expected to be in their homerooms and ready to start the instructional day.

Please adhere to the following guidelines for AM drop-off:

• DO NOT DROP OFF STUDENTS FROM THE LEFT LANE FOR ANY REASON

• Utilize the entire curbside drop-off area that starts at the flagpole.

• Have students exit the passenger side door along the curb.

• DO NOT leave car unattended or parked in front of the school during drop-off times from 8:45-9:05.

• No one is permitted to stop in the left lane to wait for a spot along the curb to open.

Students will be dismissed as car riders beginning at 3:35 PM through 4:00 PM.

For pickup, there is only one option. You should remain in your car and form a single lane through the pick-up area in the front of the school. Please be sure your numbered tag is displayed from your rearview mirror or have your tag in hand to present to the school official at your door.

Adults who do not have a number or have incorrect license plate information will be asked to pull out of the car rider lane, find a legal parking place in the visitor lot and bring identification to the security office. An administrator will gladly assist them after all the buses are dismissed.

We apologize in advance, but early dismissals CANNOT be honored after 3:00 PM due to high volume of transitions and the secretary's responsibilities during dismissal time. Please respect this request, as we have implemented this procedure to ensure the safety of all students and maintain an orderly dismissal procedure. In addition, please remember that there is no parking in the drop-off/pick-up area for early dismissals. Utilize the visitor parking area in front of the building.

Thank you for your attention to our car rider procedures. Your cooperation is needed to ensure student safety.

Please be mindful to notify our office if there is a change to your Car Rider Registration Form.

If you have any questions, please contact our school office at 412.793.7000 x7100.

Please note that all dismissal changes need to be made in writing. Dismissal changes by phone are reserved for emergencies only, and a callback may be made to verify the change. Changes to student dismissal procedures, including temporary bus changes, MUST be requested by a parent/guardian. NO changes will be honored at a student’s request.

Students cannot be released to persons not listed in our school records associated with each family. Please make the office aware if a friend and/or relative is picking up your child, and that person is not listed in our student information system or on the child’s Emergency Care Card. Everyone picking up students will be asked to show proper State-issued photo identification as verification prior to the student being released. Students will NOT be released to any person without this valid identification. The photo identification will be scanned through the Raptor Visitor Management System for clearance. We ask for your cooperation and understanding with this procedure, as it helps to ensure the safety and well-being of our students.