28 School Transportation News Magazine September 2011


Wintertime Prep Combats Bad Weather Woes Recent weather patterns result in lessons learned for student transporters


By Shanna Thompson Zareski “Winter” is relative, but safety is


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not. Facing the elements is a reality for bus drivers across the country as they transport riders to and from school, often in harsh condi- tions. While transportation officials hope for the best, they prepare for the worst — whether it be snow, tornadoes or frigid temperatures. Nowhere is that more evident than in Joplin, Mo., where a deadly torna- do ripped through the town in May. While the school district suf-


fered severe damage, the bus barn was out of the path of the tornado. As fate would have it, the tornado also struck on a Sunday when class- rooms were empty. With its 81 buses spared, Joplin Schools trans- portation department answered a call for help from the local hospital, said Mike Johnson, director of build- ings, grounds and transportation. Drivers were brought in, and for


the next 24 hours, the fleet was re- purposed to transfer patients out of the damaged medical center. Now, several months later, buses continue to run seven days a week, hauling volunteers and FEMA workers as part of the relief effort. “If you haven’t been here and


seen [the devastation] with your own eyes, it is hard to put into per- spective,” said Johnson. “It literally takes your breath away.” Still, he said, it could have been


worse had the tornado hit on a school day. More than half the student population would have been in the damaged and de- stroyed schools. “Tey would have been injured,


if not killed,” Johnson said. “It would have been horrific.” So what if the tornado siren


sounds during the route to or from school? Joplin drivers are trained to immediately go to the nearest safe location — for example, a bank on the bus route — and get the riders out quickly and without panic. “We pull up right to the door,”


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Johnson said. “We kind of impose ourselves, but we’ve never had any complaints. Everyone is looking out for the kids.” Safety is reinforced with torna-


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do drills throughout the year and mandated emergency evacuation drills each semester. Te transportation department


did double duty this summer pre- paring for the upcoming school year while also working overtime to run 30 buses a day for summer school students — a service not normally provided but necessary in an effort to reestablish some normalcy for students in the wake of the tornado. With the regular session starting


on Aug. 17, Joplin was maintaining normal bus routes and traditional stops, although some were in- active, while also arranging for temporary pickups for students displaced to neighboring towns 20 and 30 miles away. Tough the Joplin school bus-


es may operate more like a taxi service, Johnson said, the transpor- tation department is training extra drivers and prepping extra buses to ensure students get back to their regular schools. “Being flexible is our model. Kids


have been through enough without transportation issues,” he said.


WINTER WONDERLAND In Chicago Public Schools, a Feb-


ruary blizzard dropped a foot of snow and challenged bus drivers as they transported 22,600 riders home from school on 1,800 con- tracted buses. While travel time was longer due to traffic and un- plowed side streets, the last riders got home between 7 and 8 p.m. “Te city puts out emergency


alerts advising folks to stay off roads and use public transpor- tation,” said Francisco Du’Prey, director of the Bureau of Student Transportation Services for CPS. “Tat helps us to be able to deliver kids on the day of a blizzard.” With school closed the next day,


the Board of Education and the city of Chicago collaborated to identify bus terminals and streets in need of clearing. Parents were asked to help clear snow at alter- native dropoffs and to ensure the safe use of lifts in front of homes of riders with special needs. “A lot of work happened dur-


ing the time school was closed to prepare for the restart of trans- portation,” Du’Prey said. “It went amazingly well.” Bus companies did their part by vehicles


running intermittently the night before school resumed


to prevent fuel lines from freezing and to keep the temperature warm enough for the students. Once out on the road, drivers are trained to drive slower and never reverse the bus if it gets stuck in the snow. In the event of a breakdown


due to bad weather, Du’Prey said, students are not allowed off the bus until a second vehicle with additional adult supervision has arrived to transport them safely. Also, vans are used as a backup when buses cannot navigate the streets due to snow buildup and stranded cars. If children cannot be dropped


off because parents are caught in weather woes, riders are taken to a district site to await pickup. “It re- ally backed up the system nicely,” Du’Prey said. Debriefing after the storm led


to fine tuning for the next time harsh weather hits, he said. Spe- cial needs riders in wheelchairs will board the buses early, and more vans will be used for trans- port down side streets. Standard policy may include


requesting the city Department of Streets and Sanitation to plow immediately so buses can get out of terminals. Also, routes may be developed to avoid railroad tracks that buses cannot clear. “[Our staff] stays as late as we


need to make sure every child is accounted for at the end of the day,” he said. “Te level of col- laboration between the Board of Education and the city depart- ments has made the difference in managing transportation during inclement weather.” ■


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