The Loop

A strange phenomenon caused by Ms. Frizzle. The loop traps 6th grade students and their families in a repeating timeline. The loop mainly affects Ms. Frizzle's favorites; there is very little information about how students outside the favorites circle are affected by the loop. It is generally assumed that once they move on from the 6th grade normal students either repress or forget about the experiences that they have gone through and just go on with their lives.

How the Loop Works
When a favorite enters the loop they are now working under very specific rules.

1) The favorites will always wake up to a school day. While weekends have yet to be touched upon, the loop is shown to specifically surpass summer vacations and presumably winter and spring breaks. The favorites never seem to get a break from one of the Frizz's field trips.

2) Their loved ones are also trapped in the loop. Family members do not seem to perceive the loop and simply accept that things are "normal" for them. The loop seems to supplant alternate memories into the minds of family members, such as Stephen's father remembering a summer vacation that Stephen didn't seem to. They will never age or change, they will remain exactly how they were when the favorite entered into the loop.

3) They cannot die. At least they can't die permanently. If a student happens to die on a field trip, they will wake up completely unharmed the next day. They remember the previous day and its events, with the exception of Ralphie. However, it seems that dying too many times can cause adverse affects on the favorites. Keesha states that "the more you die, the more you lose a part of yourself and your brain turns to mush".

Steven's Father
Steven's father seems to be semi-resistant to the loop. He actively fights against its influence and maintains some knowledge of the past timelines and events. Part of this seems tied to his zealous notetaking, but another has an emotional tie. Stephen's father has a clear goal that helps him keep some clarity with events that he should have forgotten under the loop's influences.

Ralphie
Ralphie is one of the few students who does not seem to be aware of the loop. He dies every single field trip due to a past incident he had with Ms. Frizzle. Unlike the other students, he does not remember his death or the day before. In fact, it seems that his mental capabilities are slowly degrading over time. Whether this is simply because of how long he has been in the loop or the sheer amount of deaths he has had under its influence is unclear.