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Drivers, Attendants Need Help Bridging Communication Gaps, Especially in Special Needs
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he Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that employers added 138,000 jobs in May, a slight slowdown from previous
months. But the national unemployment rate still fell to 4.3 percent. Tat’s the lowest figure in 16 years. Despite the improving economic and
employment climate, the school bus industry continues to face a severe driver shortage. Are transportation directors being forced to accept any new applicant who passes the minimum requirements? If so, how are they training these new drivers and setting them up for success rather than failure?
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Te question came to the forefront last fall after Johnthony Walker crashed his Chattanooga, Tennessee school bus, killing six elementary school students and injuring two dozen others. Te result- ing investigation found that Walker was working two jobs at the time of the crash and had only been behind the wheel of a school bus for about six months. However he had been cited numerous times both as a school bus driver and in his personal vehicle for incidents. National Express, LLC, the owner of Walker’s employer Durham School Services, said he passed all background checks and company training. “With the fingerprinting and drug and alcohol screening that is in place today, you can take a person with absolutely no experience driving a big vehicle and make them a good employee. It just takes time.” Says Kathy Furneau, executive director of the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute in Syracuse, New York. Time: It’s something not all school districts or school bus companies have an abundance of when it comes to filling their school bus routes with eligible drivers. “We take on a lot of people we normally
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22 School Transportation News • JULY 2017
wouldn’t right now,” said Larry Hannan, the transportation supervisor for Wamego School District in Kansas. “Tey don’t
have the work ethic we want. It takes a lot of patience and I keep repeating, ‘We in- spect our vehicles. We aren’t late to work.’ I don’t have the leverage to tell them there are five other people who want their jobs.” In addition to finding eligible drivers, a big challenge is training them as well as attendants in how to handle students with one of the 13 federally recognized disabili- ties. Emotions can build as the school year progresses, leaving some transportation employees more and more frustrated with behaviors that they aren’t equipped—or trained—to handle. Many of these behaviors might just
be “Johnny being Johnny,” but when they escalate to a point that the driver or attendant strikes or physically restrains the student, the media is quick to report it.
Stnonline.com recently summarized an in- cident that occurred in Mississippi, where a special needs bus driver is charged with misdemeanor abuse of a vulnerable person after allegedly hitting a 7-year-old student with autism. Te district immediately fired the driver, who was free on $10,000 bond at this report with a court date looming. Sometimes the issue may just be with the transportation employee. But in many cases, the special education and transportation departments simply aren’t communicating about how to handle each student in the best way and to keep frustration levels down. Drivers and attendants need to be involved in conversations so if a student is having a difficult time, they have the resources and knowledge to make the situation better. Keeping everyone safe on the bus is the goal, whether that means letting the child play a handheld video game, keeping a chart with stars or stickers to reward good rides or knowing which phrases to use or avoid when speaking to the child. Lack of training for school bus drivers also leaves many parents, especially of special needs students, feeling frustrated
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