Arrival and Dismissal Plans 2026

Safety is our number one priority. We ask all families to demonstrate patience, treat staff and one another respectfully, and follow the established traffic flow and drop-off/pick-up procedures.
 
The Arrival & Dismisal Procedures and Bus Schedules should be available on the Burnt Mills Elementary School website. For questions regarding late or missing buses, please contact the Division of Transportation at 301-840-8130.
 
All families must complete the Student Dismissal Plan Google Form to tell the school how their child will be dismissed each day. Please submit one form for each student before August 24, 2026.
 
If your child’s dismissal plan changes on a particular day, you must call the front office at 240-740-7320 and leave a message explaining the change. Please do not rely on an email or a message sent through your child to communicate a change in dismissal.
Bus routes are published on the MCPS Transportation website.
 
Buses are identified by route number and will enter the bus loop, where staff members will greet students and help them reach their classrooms. On the first day of school, each student will receive a colored bracelet displaying their bus route number.
 
To help your child become familiar with the routine, we encourage bus riders to ride the bus beginning on the first day of school.
Students who are driven to and from school are considered car riders and will be dismissed through the Kiss & Ride car line.
 
All car-line traffic must:
  • Enter the campus from Prelude Drive.
  • Follow the designated traffic flow pattern.
  • Follow all directions provided by staff.
  • Exit the campus onto Prelude Drive.
 
Please do not drive onto campus, park, and escort your child into the building during arrival. Following the car-line procedures is essential to maintaining a safe and efficient process for everyone.
 
Burnt Mills uses a numbered placard system to match each vehicle with the student or students being picked up.
  • The youngest child in each household will bring home two large, brightly colored placards and smaller backpack placards displaying the family’s assigned car-line number and name. Please look for these placards in your child’s backpack or folder.
  • Display the large placard on the passenger side of the vehicle’s dashboard.
  • If another person will pick up your child or you use a different vehicle, make sure the placard is clearly displayed.
  • Attach the smaller placard to your child’s backpack and help your child learn their assigned car-line number.
  • Do not exchange placards with another family. Each number is assigned to a specific household and recorded in the school’s database.
Students who live within walking distance of the school are considered walkers.
  • During arrival, parents and guardians should walk their children to the front of the school, where students will enter through the main doors.
  • During dismissal, walkers may be picked up near the gym at the front of the building. Signs will identify the designated walker pick-up area.
  • Students in kindergarten through second grade may not walk home alone and must be picked up by a parent or guardian.
Do not park in the bus loop at any time, even for a few minutes. The bus loop is a designated fire lane and must remain clear at all times.
 
If you need to enter the school, please park in an authorized parking space. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, orderly, and efficient arrival and dismissal process for every student.