At last year's STN EXPO in Reno, Charley Kennington and Sue Shutrump taught the NHTSA eight- hour seminar "Child Passenger Safety Restraint Systems on School Buses," a part of the overall 40- hour certified passenger safety technician training. Here, they are demonstrating proper installation of school bus–specific child safety restraint systems.
plaintiff to meet,” said Burns. “Tat will be a subject of close examination if the case ever gets to court.” During her 17 years of consulting with student transporters, Burns said she has seen similar lawsuits, such as the Susavage case, capture media attention and generate debate on staff training, student securement and monitoring. In 1999, 6-year-old Cynthia Susavage,
who had a rare neurological condition marked by mental impairment and lack of coordination, died months after choking while riding her school bus in an improperly fitted, four-point harness. In 2003, her family agreed to a $3.15-million lawsuit settlement with the Levy School Bus Company and an additional $415,000 settlement with the Quakertown Community School District and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. Regarding this case, Burns wrote: “Te
Court inferred ‘that BCIU knew or must have known, given Cynthia's special needs and the numerous communications regard- ing her safety, that Levy needed special training and supervision to insure her safe transport.’ In addition, the Court notes that the IDEA specifically requires training…” Editor’s note – Read Burns’ full report on the Susavage case at
www.stnonline.com/go/t. Meanwhile, industry expert Sue Shut-
school districts and bus contractors need to conduct “self-audits” and regularly review special needs training programs and policies to determine if there are any gaps. “Te problem is enormous. Tere is often
a lack of understanding on the part of dis- tricts and school bus companies about the training they need to do,” she said. “If they do understand, they still wonder: When will I have time for that training? How will I get
the money? And, there are so many special needs, how can I train for each individual situation? It’s very challenging.” If it is true that HCPS offered but did
not require specific special-needs training for its bus staff, and that issue is alleged to have been a cause of the student’s death, Burns said this could keep the case in court. “Even if there was a failure to train,
there’s a legal standard that is not easy for a
rump, who oversees occupational and phys- ical therapy at the Trumbull County (Ohio) Educational Service Center, said cases in which students with significant medical needs were injured on the school bus due to improper usage of occupant restraints are concerning because many meetings and trainings must have occurred within the school walls, based on the child’s level of disability — particularly on how to provide postural support through both equipment and adult supervision. »
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