SPECIAL REPORT
She said she advises district’s
to “look into and understand your partner’s insurance. “Having a higher policy limit doesn’t necessarily mean you’re covered for everything, so make sure you know what their coverage is and verify it with your risk management team at your district or a legal represen- tative,” Carey continued. “Make sure you’re doing your own due diligence. Don’t just take some- one’s word for it that they’re doing what you expect.” Carey said districts should
even ask what they might be overlooking as they meet with potential third-party carriers. She underscored the impor- tance of aligning the vendor’s insurance with the district’s coverage for accidents and incidents, too. “Accidents and incidents are
very different things. Make sure you know what they label as an accident and what they label an incident, and make sure that you are going back and looking at them,” Carey said. Risk management doesn’t
stop there. It should include regular reviews of such aspects as routing, technol- ogy, and the process of filing routine-event and incident reports. “A lot of what risk mitigation is, is meeting with and being a partner,” Carey said. “It’s communicating continuously. Make the contractor tell you what’s working and what’s not. Tell them what’s working and what isn’t for you. Being shy about it isn’t going to work for anybody. Tell them what parents and school officials tell you. A true partner will listen and make changes. But you have to do it together.”
Working With Yellow Bus Contractors
School districts that are considering a move to third-party transportation carriers, school bus or not, should develop and stick to clear expectations before signing an agreement. Ryan Dillingham, director of transportation for Knox County Schools in Knoxville, Ten-
nessee, oversees a 341-vehicle fleet that is completely contractor operated. His approach to risk mitigation? Hold school bus companies to the same high standards that would be expected of district employees. “You’re kind of one step removed from your drivers, and being one step removed can be
problematic,” Dillingham said. “But they’re still the people driving our kids and they’re the first line of defense against problems. We’ve established standards where [distance] doesn’t matter. ‘You need to hit this standard and hold to it no matter what,’” Dillingham relayed. “Whether it’s running late, making sure COVID-19 standards are in place, driver shortages, or anything else, you have to make sure you have clear standards and hold people accountable.” When it comes to enforcing COVID-19 standards in a district with an average enroll- ment of 58,000 students, of which 52,000 students resumed in-person instruction on Aug. 31 last year, Dillingham acknowledged that it’s “a constant battle.” “You can’t watch everyone every day. You have to check here, check there. When you get a tip that there’s a potential problem, you need to follow up. A lot of things we’ve never done are being done now: masks, temperature checks for drivers, and a whole host of things,” he said. “It’s been necessary for us to lean on some people to be sure they are doing things correctly. We’re not the only profession living with these new dis- infectant standards. Other people are doing that, too.” Thomas Burr, transportation director of Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota, also em-
phasized the importance of contractor spot checks, especially during the COVID-19 era. “We’ve implemented seating charts this year and I anticipated a learning curve. I spot-
checked some buses today and their seats weren’t numbered properly, so I’ll note that with our contractors. I spot checked mask usage also and made sure they keep open seats, which is a Minnesota requirement,” Burr explained last month. “We also check to see if they have extra masks, in case kids show up without a mask. We just need to continue to spot check and remind.” While some transportation companies provide apps that allow their customers to
verify that vehicles are disinfected, Burr said that Saint Paul’s vendors adhere to require- ments to disinfect high-touch areas between each route, ventilate between routes, and thoroughly disinfect at the end of each day. Risk mitigation also included the decision by one company to install a transparent plastic barrier behind the driver, Burr added. When transporting the most severe disabled students, who often need an adult aide or nurse to travel with them, those professionals are outfitted with masks and face shields and have disposal gloves and gowns available, as needed. Burr’s expectation of contractors and advice to fleet managers and drivers: Don’t let
your guard down for a minute. “It’s what we’ve all heard along the way—social distance, wash your hands often and stay home if you’re sick,” he said.
28 School Transportation News • MARCH 2021
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