Up Close: A Look at Columbus City Schools


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n addition to being this week’s host city, Columbus City Schools is Ohio’s largest school district. While the trans- portation staff has yet to hatch plans for wide-scale, alter- native-fuel school buses or the adoption of lap-shoulder


seat belts, they remain dedicated to student safety and to doing the best they can with what they have. And that is a pursuit that has earned them national attention. Jeff Vrabel heads up the Fleet Services Division, which is


responsible for the purchase, maintenance, and disposal of the district’s motor fleet. “Our commitment to student safety and operating in an


efficient and effective manner is a top priority,” the division’s mission statement reveals. Safety is an area the department has been making huge strides in lately. Last month, CCS made news by opening testing of a Type-A


school bus with enhanced safety features. Te idea for that bus came about during a discussion on


school safety initiatives earlier this year in “an advisory group comprised of law enforcement, school officials and the Ohio Department of Education,” shared Sgt. Tiffiany Meeks of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Vrabel said that he and patrol offi- cer Lt. Aaron Reimer began a conversation in March on ways to improve school bus safety. “We both had ideas, and after much discussion we had a solid


idea,” Vrabel told STN. “We collaborated with various vendors, all meeting together to discuss the idea. Two weeks later, modi- fications were being made and we had a finished project.” Tat finished project was a school bus with three added safety


features. One feature was four additional lights, which flash red and amber, attached to the front of the bus, “to notify oncom- ing traffic when a bus is slowing or coming to a stop,” said Sgt. Meeks. She added that large reflective strips adhered to the back of the bus increase visibility in the dark from a greater distance, and that bright white LED wash lights along the sides of the bus illuminate the ground to “give the bus driver a better field of vision when students are walking next to the bus.” Tose specific safety features were added, said Vrabel, largely


to reduce rates of illegal passing incidents, as well as to help bus drivers see better in the dark. Te bus hit the streets on Oct. 16, which also happened to be the first day of School Bus Safety Week, and immediately turned heads. Vrabel told STN that the bus driver and her assistants had


a much easier time seeing students in the dark, early morning hours and observed cars “stopping a hundred feet away, better than the 10 feet that’s required in Ohio.” Tey also “noticed reduced tailgating because of the striping on the back.” “Tey were very happy with it,” he said. In addition to reducing illegal passing incidents, Vrabel said the district seeks to decrease loading and unloading zone inju- ries and rear-end collisions, which could prompt these features to become options or even standard equipment on all school buses throughout the state. Leading the U.S. in the implemen- tation of these features on school buses “would be an added bonus,” he added. Sgt. Meeks confirmed “positive feedback from drivers” and


16 THE SHOW REPORTER • NOV 4-7, 2017


pedal when it comes to every part of the process,” according to Transportation Operations Manager Gary Bright. Bright shared that the district is increasing starting pay, plac-


ing billboards, streamlining the hiring process and ensuring fol- low-up with every applicant. Te district expanded the training department and the training coordinator provides continuous feedback on departmental hiring needs. Vrabel said the district is not currently pursuing hot topic


features such as lap-shoulder belts. One special-education bus is equipped with a wheelchair lift and lap-shoulder seat belts per federal law. Ohio does not cur- rently require seat belts on large school buses, and Vrabel added that CCS does not have plans to add them. In July of 2010, CCS did acquire six diesel-electric hybrid IC


school buses through use of a grant. Tey carry 65 passengers each, and are all currently in service running regular routes. Vra- bel said that a supervisor he spoke to told him that the drivers who drive the hybrids “really like them.” Vrabel added that “there are no current plans to expand


that fleet,” but added that CCS is “looking at all alternate fuel options for possible consideration in the future.” He added that CCS is keeping an eye on driver-assistance


systems that are becoming available and “will be interested in learning how these features can be used on school buses.” ●


The Columbus City Schools safety bus is on display this week.


a suggestion from transportation directors that the enhanced safety features “be considered a standard for buses in Ohio.” CCS, said Vrabel, “is proud to continue to work with other


agencies to reach our common goal of the safe transportation of students to and from school and other events.” Meanwhile, like many districts nationwide, CCS struggles with a driver shortage. But it is also “keeping the foot on the


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