at What Might be in Store
SNOWSTORMS, TORNADOES LEAVE THEIR MARK Starting in January, a series of severe snowstorms labeled as
“winter storms of historic proportions” by the National Weather Service made their way through the Midwest and Northeast, with some areas seeing two feet of snowfall in a short period of time. Transportation in the affected areas, including school buses, came to an abrupt halt and left many students stranded.
ALABAMA SEAT BELT STUDY CONCLUDES Following the tragic death in November 2006 of four stu-
dents when a Huntsville, Ala., school bus plunged off a freeway overpass, the state put together a three-year study, ultimately performed by the University Transportation Center for Alabama at the University of Alabama. One of the final reports from the study, “Cost-Effectiveness of Lap/Shoulder Seat Belts on Large Alabama School Buses,” gave the opinion that the costs involved with adding seat belts far exceeded the benefits and called school bus seat belts “not as cost-effective as other types of safe- ty treatments.” Dr. Daniel Turner, the study’s lead, stood by the results, stating that money should instead be spent on making the danger zone safer. But, as many industry professionals point- ed out, including those from school bus seating manufacturers, the study reviewed information from four school bus seat belt studies that were completed before the 2008 NHTSA final rule updating FMVSS 222 on School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection. Tat final rule goes into effect this October.
Associated Press
Layers of thick ice caused downed power lines and images taken by NASA satellites showed the country covered in a blanket of snow. Te severe weather continued in late April and May when tornadoes destroyed parts of Alabama and Missouri. Images from Joplin, Mo., showed an area completely obliterated by the Herculean winds. Missouri State Director Dr. Roger Dorson esti- mated that 4,500 students were displaced by the tornadoes. In Alabama, approximately 234 people lost their lives during the storms, which also left about 400,000 customers without power. Te tornadoes came on the heels of massive flooding from the swollen Mississippi River following the wet winter.
IDEA CELEBRATES A CORAL ANNIVERSARY Tirty-five years ago, President Gerald Ford signed into law the
Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the In- dividuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Te ground-breaking legislation guaranteed access to a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to any child with a emotional, mental or physical disability. To celebrate the occasion, Te U.S. Department of Education published “Tirty-five Years of Progress in Educating Children With Disabilities Trough IDEA” (
www.stnon-
line.com/go/809), which explains the impact of IDEA, the conditions before and after the law was enacted and a look at the future of IDEA.
DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN COMES WITH WARNING Although it was celebrated on a national and international lev-
el with much fanfare, the death of terrorist and Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden should not be taken as an end to terrorism. TSA official and industry regular William Arrington was quick to warn the industry that now is not the time to become compla- cent. During a conversation with STN in early May, Arrington, the general manager of TSA’s Office of Highway and Motor Car- rier Division, would not get into specifics but did warn school
www.stnonline.com 31
ADS BECOME MOST TALKED ABOUT SCHOOL BUS LEGISLATION Te placement of advertisements on the outside of school
buses to raise revenue was one of the hottest topics discussed at the state legislature level during this past year, with a number of states introducing some form of legislation that would allow the practice. So far, bills that would allow advertising on school buses have been introduced in Ohio, New York, Florida, and Oklaho- ma. In some states, like Utah and New Jersey, the bills made it through the legislative process and are now laws. Tere is still much debate on the subject with organizations like NASDPTS and the Florida Association for Pupil Transportation publish- ing white papers warning of the possible dangers involved with school bus ads, namely the possibility that the ads may distract other drivers and cause unnecessary accidents.
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