MAILBAG
MONITORING EMPLOYEE HEALTH I was just reading the April 2011 edition, “Filtering the Bad from the
Good.” While I applaud all the screening and monitoring processes for bus drivers, I am a little dumbfounded as to why we are not monitoring bus attendants more closely as well. I understand that the bus attendants are not driving the buses, but it amazes me how we do not follow up on requiring them to participate in the random drug testing that my state, Illinois, requires of our bus drivers. I am the transportation supervisor/director for a local south suburban
school district, and some of the bus attendants we have hired have only had to pass initial physicals and drug testing. I have had some staff, no longer with us now, who I had serious reservations about. Some have appeared to be under some kind of influence, whether legal or illegal. I have some bus attendants who appear to be less than healthy and fre- quently miss work; and yet, I cannot address these issues, even when I fear for the safety of the students we transport. One of my attendants was out of work for almost a year with a serious heart condition, and she passed [away] as a result of a heart attack in the morning when she could have been working. Had she been working at that time and not recently separated from employment, she would have died right there on the bus in front of my driver and our 3- to 5-year-old pre-kindergarten students. While I understand you cannot discriminate against any individual
with any kind of impairment, I believe that the requirements need to be tightened when it comes to those who are in constant contact with students, especially with 3- to 5-year-olds. Annual physicals and random drug testing should be government-mandated for anyone transporting or having direct contact with students. Just my opinion.
Jackie Human, Cook County School District 130 Blue Island, Ill.
Editor’s note — Tis summer, the 18th Annual STN EXPO in Reno, Nev.,
will include a panel presentation of state agency representatives and school district personnel as they discuss the challenges of ensuring the fitness and health of transportation employees. For more information, visit
www.stnexpo.com.
IN MEMORY On behalf of my family, thank you very much for crafting a very nice
article about my father, Michael Lunsford [“Homegrown,” page 28 of the April 2011 edition.] Obviously, I never get tired of hearing good things about my dad, nor does my family. He was an inspiration to my family and my co-workers, and always influenced us to do the ‘good’ thing. Tank you again.
Josh Lunsford, Fleet Maintenance Supervisor Loudoun County (Va.) Central Garage
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Editorial Advisory Board: Denny Coughlin, Consultant; Judith Dupille, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles; Dick Fischer, Trans-Consult; Ron Love, Delaware DOE; Randy McLerran, National Bus Sales; Pete Meslin, Newport-Mesa Unified; Nancy Netherland, Migrant-Seasonal Head Start; Robert Pudlewski, Consultant; Alexandra Robinson, NAPT; Launi Schmutz, Washington County Schools
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10 School Transportation News Magazine June 2011
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