after the morning route, said transporta- tion director Deb Kahler. Te missed rider spent two hours on the bus before being found in good condition. “Te student had been hiding under
the seats because he did not want to go to school,” she said. While that child was unharmed, the po-
tential for injury to the district’s 1,785 bus riders is real, Kahler said. “Some winters, we have a wind chill of
20 below, and this — as well as 100-degree plus temperatures — can play a role in a child’s safety,” she added. Now with the Bus-Scan system on 22
buses, drivers have 15 seconds following the end of the route to walk to the back of the vehicle and press a red button. If they fail to perform the check, the horn starts honking and all vehicle lights start to flash as a reminder to do the post-trip inspection. For more than 10 years, Raleigh County
Schools in West Virginia has been buying buses equipped with the ChildMinder system, mandated into bus-building spec- ifications by the state in 2000, said Jerry N. Redden, director of transportation. Ap- proximately 9,200 students ride the district’s 162 school buses. “In the last eight years, we have had one
incident where a child was left on a bus,” Redden said. For 10 years, Sweet Home School
District in Oregon has been using “Bus Empty” magnetic signs placed in the back window of its 32 buses, said transporta- tion supervisor L.D. Ellison. Te district transports about 1,680 students daily. “After finishing a route or trip, [drivers]
are required by state and district regula- tions to do a post-trip/route inspection and replace the magnet on the rear door,” Ellison explained. Te policy was implemented after a
driver swept and fueled a small 24-pas- senger bus with a kindergarten student asleep on the floor at the rear of the bus. Te driver only swept the aisles up to the middle of the vehicle, missing the rider in the back. Ellison found the child still asleep more than an hour later. “Te driver received a letter of repri- mand in his file for three years,” he said.
62.7%
What happens to drivers when a child is left alone on the bus or they otherwise fail to perform a post-trip inspection of the bus for students?
29.8% 51.6% 21.7% 10.6%
IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL SUSPENSION, WITH PAY
SUSPENSION, WITHOUT PAY COUNSELING/WARNING
“Tis has been the only case in the 13.5 years I have been the supervisor.” St. Charles Parish Public Schools in
Louisiana installed the Child Check-Mate system on its 141 buses eight years ago after a child was left on a bus that was parked all day at a driver’s house, said transportation
operations coordinator
Gary Martin. “Fortunately, it was during a period
where the temperatures had begun to drop late, and the child recovered without serious complications,” he added. Te driver was arrested and charged,
and his employment as a school bus driver was terminated. For six years, Dysart Unified School
Does your district/ company utilize an on- board child reminder system for drivers?
District #89 in Arizona has used a redun- dant Zonar System to ensure none of its 13,700 riders are left behind, said director of transportation Robert Streeter. After dropping off the last child at school, driv- ers must walk to the back of the bus and scan a button at the rear of the vehicle. Te scan is uploaded via GPS and tracked by management to ensure the check is being done. Additionally, once the route is complete and the driver returns to the bus yard and shuts off the bus, an alarm sounds requiring the driver to go to the back of the bus and manually shut it off, Streeter said. In two different situations, the Zonar
check found riders during the bus yard check. While the children were never left alone on the bus, Streeter said, the drivers still were disciplined because they failed to perform the child check immediately after dropping off students at school.
A CONTINUING PROBLEM So, with children’s lives at stake, why are
37.3%
these incidents still occurring across the country? Laziness, according to one stu- dent transporter. “For a lot of drivers, driving a school bus
is not their main job, so they get in a hurry sometimes,” said Kahler. Bad habits and rushing by bus opera-
YES NO
tors and transportation staff contribute to the problem, Redden agreed. Too many drivers look for an easy way to do their job, said Ellison. Te problem usually
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