News
Indiana Becomes First State to Enact Child Safety Restraint Systems for Pre-K Students
WRITTEN BY BARB FASING W
ith continual discussion surrounding school bus seating and student safety issues, one state is pioneering a safety regulation for its young- est population of riders. As of Jan. 1, Indiana
is the first state to establish a regulation requiring a Child Safety Restraint System (CSRS) for all pre-K students being transported on public school buses. Each child below the grade of kindergarten who rides a school bus must be secured in a child safety restraint that meets all appli- cable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including FMVSS 213 that covers car seats and harnesses. Michael LaRocco, director of the Office of School Transportation for the Indiana Department of Education, clarified that this means CSRS must be used in every Indiana public school bus that transports pre-K children.
Each CSRS must be secured to a bus seat in a manner prescribed and approved by the manufacturer and must meet safety specifi- cations. According to the Indiana Department of Education, the passenger seats must have a reinforced frame that meets FMVSS 210 in addition to FMVSS 222. “Tere have never been any regulations requiring the seating
restraints, but now in Indiana, bus transporters will be required to do so,” explained Charles Vits, market development manager for SafeGuard and IMMI said. “It’s the first step in moving toward safety restraints for pre-K public school students. So many things regarding safety restraints need to change.” LaRocco said the process needed to pass the regulation began in 2012, when a committee was working through school bus specifi- cations. Special needs experts in Indiana proposed the specifications
16 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2018
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