An evacuation helicopter stages during a mock school bus crash event in Lincoln County, West Virginia.
learn from their challenges and successes. “We also partner with TSA at no cost,” Jones said. “Do a base assessment of your security system and security processes, and then they will also help you with testing.” One such test uses packages left on board the bus to determine the response—if a bus driv- er notices them and what they do once they discover there’s an unidentified package on a vehicle.
The district also has engaged in mandatory evacuation drills for students in kindergarten through sixth grade at least twice a year and annually for those in sixth grade through high school.
The district had two incidents of unruly parents
confronting the bus driver, who activated a dis- tress button to which its safety and security team provided a quick response to mitigate the issue. The technology gives drivers protection from external matters as well as unverified allega-
to our internal safety and security at the school district as well as reach out to Liberty Police Department or Kansas City Police Department for response,” Jones added. Cameras are strategically placed throughout the bus to
capture images from the front to back and of the outside. The district also is engaged in multi-level training. Prior to the start of each year, the district’s safety and
security department conducts a training with school bus drivers on how to deal with unauthorized persons trying to enter the bus, including unruly parents, said Jones. Training also entails situational awareness of the sur-
roundings on the route and at the bus stops. “You know when you see things that are out of place
or individuals that may be a suspected potential threat, to be able to escalate it to our dispatch and in turn, we can dispatch our safety and security and or the police to investigate further,” Jones added. He advised school districts to start a safety training program to interact with directors in other districts to
tions, Jones noted. “It allows us the ability to go into [the] video and listen
to a conversation that a driver has with a student, to watch their interaction, and make sure it is within our district and board policies for behaviors and professionalism,” he added. “It behooves all organizations to be proactive rather than reactive. Know where the trends are going. Know by following the media what current things are happening throughout the nation so you can come up with mitigation plans to prevent prior to something happening.” The National Association of State Directors of Pupil
Transportation Services (NASDPTS) provides infor- mation on its website addressing safety and security training as well as U.S. government security links. School bus driver security training programs typically
address defining threat and risk; understanding weap- ons; inspecting the bus, facilities and surroundings (situational awareness), and handling conflict or acts of violence on the bus.
of transportation directors and supervisors said they provide student behavior/incident management training to drivers and aides. Whereas 24% stated they only provide the training to drivers.
(Out of 54 responses to a recent STN magazine reader survey.)
32 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2025
72%
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