The Road to Learning Transportation 101 CASBO October 26, 2011 Shawn Higginbotham Associate Superintendent Lake Hamilton School District
Dec 22, 2015
The Road to LearningTransportation 101
CASBO October 26, 2011
Shawn Higginbotham Associate Superintendent
Lake Hamilton School District
Why are we here?What will we discuss?
“American students are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than with their own parents and guardians in cars. The fatality rate for school buses is only .02 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled compared to 1.5 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled for cars.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Is public school transportation…
• Required?• Necessary?• Effective?• Efficient?• Expected?• A Headache?!!
Do school buses matter?
• Safety• Traffic• Environment• Reliability• Free access to education
Early Times
1910
1920
1955
2007
Future?
Quick Facts
In Arkansas: Approximately 5000 route buses 325,000 student passengers 243,000 route miles per day 43,200,000 miles per year 1 fatality since 2001
2009-10 Data
Statewide expenditures: $180,394,549 4.5% of net total expenditures Range per pupil spending: $92 to $1,126.42 Avg. per pupil spending: $393.73 Avg. cost per mile: $3.40
$1.98 for driver costs $1.42 for maintenance and operation
Transportation Data in SIS
• Submitted in Cycles 3, 5, 6, and 7• Personnel – Employees reported with CDL
(Cycle 3 only)• Bus data – each bus in fleet– Inspections– Description– Purchase Details– FY Statistics
Driver Data Collected in SIS
• Date of most recent physical
• Confirmation of– Driving records check– Non-Criminal Background Check– Pre-Employment Drug/Alcohol Screen
• FY Training Date
Pupil Transportation Data• Distance in miles from school
• Transportation Eligibility– T= resides at least 2 miles from school– N=resides ˂ 2 miles from school
• Travel Type– B=bus– G=parent/guardian– D=drives self– P=district paid
Other Transportation Data
• Supplemental Transportation
• Bus Safety Program
• Extracurricular Athletic Miles Traveled
• Extracurricular Non-Athletic Miles Traveled
Legal Basis
Are public schools in Arkansas required to provide transportation for students to and from school?
Authority
• 6-19-101 authorizes the State Board to set standards to “provide a safe, efficient, and economical system of pupil transportation.”
• 6-19-102 gives local boards of directors authority to purchase buses and hire drivers, “affording safe and convenient transportation to the pupils…”
Policy Requirements
• School Districts must have written policies for:– Transportation eligibility– Student behavior while being transported– Emergency procedures while being transported
“Boys and girls may sit together, but they know the rules. I must be able to see both heads
and all hands at all times.”
Melody Clarke, driver of the longest school bus route in the US, a 2 hour trip through southern Texas to Alpine High, in 1994
Bus Drivers
• 6-19-106 sets requirements for employment (1943 original)– May not be “physically defective or of unsound
mind, known to be a habitual drunkard or of immoral habits”
– Cannot have “general reputation of being a fast and reckless operator of motor vehicles without regard to the rights of others”
More on Drivers
• 6-19-107 requires submission of driving record• 6-19-108 requires successful completion of
exams determined by DPSAFT and ASP– Written/oral tests– Road test– Includes physical exam by licensed physician – Pre-service behind-the-wheel training
Driver Licensure
• Class B CDL• Endorsements required– “S” School Bus (“S” restriction now invalid)– “P” Passenger– Air Brakes (for equipped vehicles)
• Driver records must be checked twice annually with the Department of Finance and Administration
• District maintains records
Physical Exams Required
• Physical exam condition of employment– Includes pre-employment and random drug and
alcohol screens– Negative tuberculosis skin test
• Physical documented every two years• Restricted access to physical results –
supervisors and managers
Physical Exam Details
– Vision – 20/40; field of vision; color blind– Hearing – perceive forced whisper from more than
five feet– Cardiovascular disease – interfere with driving– Lung abnormalities – interfere with driving– Blood pressure – outside normal limits– Epilepsy/seizures – none allowed
Physicals (cont’d)
• Amputation – must be granted a Skills Performance Evaluation Certificate
• Alcoholism – diagnosed not allowed• Drug Use – not allowed• Diabetes – if insulin dependent, not allowed
Why drive a school bus?
Survey Results
Reason Percent Responding
Work Schedules 24.7%
Like Children 17.6%
Like Buses 16.1%
Benefits 9.7%
Only Job Around 2.8%
Pay 2.9%
Other 26.2%
Driver Survey Continued
• What would make your job more satisfying?– Better pay/benefits (46.4%)– More training– More career development– More hands-on support from supervisor– More feedback/recognition
Bus Driver’s Education
Highest Level Completed Percentage
Post-Graduate degree 2.1%
Some College 48.4%
Less than high school diploma/GED 1.4%
Drivers Insurance Eligibility
• 6-17-1116 School Bus Drivers– Defines full time status – 720 hours during the
school year (at 178 days = 4.05 hours per day)– Provides for bus driver eligibility to participate in
group health insurance – employee pays full premium
– District may opt to pay all or portion of cost
Other Driver Requirements
• 27-51-1002 requires drivers to conduct pre-trip inspections
• 27-23-110 requires Commercial Driver’s License to operate school bus– Includes release of driving record– Describes disqualifications– Sets fee schedule and exams required
• 6-19-102 requires driver use of seat belt
Driver Training
• Local driver training program must be established to assure competence and knowledge
• Minimum of 24 hours of pre-service training for the assigned type of bus before driving a school bus
• DPSAFT will provide three hours training annually
• DPSAFT will issue certification of completion
Driver Records
• Bus driver files should include:– Copy current CDL– Physical examination– Proof of state & federal background check– Semi-annual driver record check– TB test results– Proof of pre-employment drug and alcohol testing
Driver Recruitment
• Parents (usually Mom)• Grandparents• Law Enforcement Officers• Clergy• Self-employed (farmers, barbers, etc.)• Retirees (bored or broke)• Non-insured
Driver Retention
• Banquet• Jackets• Benefits• Trips• Simple Appreciation: “Thank You”• Support – Discipline, Administrators, Parents• Equipment Improvement
Passenger Safety
• 27-51-1004 prohibits passing school bus with lights activated for loading/unloading
• 6-19-110 and 27-51-1003 define loading/unloading points and procedures
• 6-19-110 requires bus drivers to report violations and prosecutors to report to superintendents
Safety
• 5-73-119 prohibits possession of firearm on school property specifically including school buses and “at a designated stop identified on the route list published…”– Defense to prosecution under this section if “the
person is a minor engaged in lawful marksmanship competition or practice under the supervision of his or her parent…”
Safety
• 5-39-214 prohibits unauthorized entry of a school bus and requires signage– A person over 18 may not • Enter the bus with criminal intent• Disregard the instruction of the driver• Enter and refuse to leave• Causes or attempts to cause disruption or annoyance• Engages in reckless conduct that causes a substantial
risk of creating apprehension in any person on the bus
Safety
• 5-64-411 enhances penalties for drug activity if committed within 1000 feet of– Public or private school property, including buses– Designated bus stop as identified on the route list
published…– Exempts bus stops from posting requirement
• 6-19-120 prohibits driver use of cell phone while operating bus except in emergency or breakdown
Safety
• 6-19-119 requires passengers to be seated– Driver may not operate
until every passenger is seated
– Accountability is assigned to superintendent
– Imposes fines for knowingly violating
Anti-Bullying Policy
• 6-18-514• “…shall adopt policies to prevent pupil
harassment known as bullying…”• “…on school buses, at designated stops…”• Requires posting on buses notice of what
constitutes bullying, that it is prohibited, and the consequences for engaging in such activity
Special Consideration
• Carrying pre-school children
• Special needs students
Equipment Specifications
• 6-19-111 design and operation (1937)• 6-19-113 exempt - motor vehicle registration• 6-19-115 permit numbering system• 6-19-116 mirrors• 6-19-117 strobe lights and crossing gates• 27-51-1002 color, warning lights, signage
School Bus Safety Equipment
• Special passenger crash protection• Better brakes• Warning lights• Special mirrors• Swing-out stop arms and crossing gates• Emergency exits• Rollover protection• Fuel system protection
Seatbelts
• Passengers are protected “like eggs in a carton.”
• All a child must do to be protected is to sit down in a seat.
• Even without seatbelts school buses are still the safest way transport students.
Modernization• Gate arms• Sleeping child alarms• Front window design• Increased emergency exit space• Reinforced side panels• Higher seat backs• High visibility exterior markings• Video surveillance • Satellite tracking and data
Speed
Style
To Fit In
Alice Cooper Bus
Accident Kit
• This kit should be in a bag that can be quickly located in case of an accident
• The kit should contain:– Clipboard– Blank seating chart– Camera– Laminated business cards with phone/fax
numbers and addresses– Ink pens, 100 foot tape measure, insurance info
Accident Kit (cont’d)
– Drug and alcohol testing phone numbers– Wrecker company phone numbers– Area hospital phone numbers– Bus driver home phone numbers– Umbrella
Accident Action Plan
• The plan should include several different employees with the following responsibilities:– Media spokesperson– District spokesperson at hospital– Accident kit to scene– Interview driver and witnesses– Arrange for drug and alcohol test– Notify schools and school board of accident
Accident Action Plan (cont’d)
• Notify driver’s family/spouse• Notify insurance company• Take and log phone calls• Staff the radio• Dispatch requested equipment and personnel• Release students to parents• Post accident parent notification
Accident Action Plan (cont’d)
• Help with seating chart• Generate a list with parent name, address,
date of birth and home phone number of students on bus for police
• Deliver replacement bus to scene• Find replacement driver• Photograph scene• Wrecked bus removal and disposal
Substitute Drivers
• Need just as much training as regular drivers• Need route description sheet• Need to know about students with special
needs on the route• Need support and TLC• Need to know morning departure time• Need to know special mechanical quirks• Must meet all CDL requirements
Tornado Procedure
• Use the best available procedure for your part of the state
• Consult someone (share the responsibility up the line and down the line)
Evacuation Drills
• Two per year – documented and kept on file
• Students shall receive safe riding practices instruction
Preventive Maintenance Inspection
• PMI System requires four inspections per year:– Inspection A – Safety Equipment and Air Brake
Adjustment; 1,000 miles or monthly– Inspection B – Inspection A plus oil change; gas
engine 3,000 miles, diesel 6,000 miles– Inspection C – Inspection A plus B plus tune up
(gasoline only) 12,000 miles– Inspection D – A+B+C+Transmission 24,000 miles
Preventive Maintenance Inspection
• Inspections shall be documented on forms provided by the DPSAFT
• Inspections shall be kept as long as the district owns the bus
• Work orders for repairs must be signed by mechanic completing repair and returned to driver after repairs are complete
Preventive Maintenance Inspection
• Drivers must complete a daily inspection report and turn it in to the director or designee at the end of each day. IT IS LAW!
• Each school district shall maintain a maintenance file on each bus that the district owns
Preventive Maintenance Inspection
• Maintenance files shall include:– All mechanical work– Parts removed or replaced– Year, make, model, VIN, mileage, bus number,
district– Date of various inspections, repairs, maintenance
• Files shall be readily accessible to DPSAFT inspectors
Annual Inspections
• Compliance with Arkansas School Bus Inspection Handbook
• Can take bus out of service; can’t operate until state inspector has re-inspected
• Inspection stickers issued for each unit passed• District mechanic shall do two inspections per
year in addition to State Inspection
Replacement
• Beginning July 1, 2010, no district shall operate a bus which is more than twenty years old
• As long as a bus passes “State Inspection” it may remain in service
School Bus Inspection Handbook
• Covers what will cause a bus to be put out of service by DPSAFT
• Outlines self inspections
• Provides mechanics with technical standards for repair and replacement
2010-11 Inspection Results
Six School Bus Inspectors 239 School Districts Inspections completed by April 15th
Exceptions: New Buses Unavailable Buses Reinstatements
Inspection Results Continued
6,742 buses in the state 471 buses grounded 55 buses put on 30 day limited use 8% of the buses inspected were found to have
at least one “major deficiency” 861 major deficiencies found 11,310 minor deficiencies found
Step Well Crack
EMERGENCY BRAKE
RELEASE
Resources for More Information• National Association for Pupil Transportation• National School Transportation Association• National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation• School Bus Fleet• School Transportation News• Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and
Transportation• National Highway Transportation Safety Administration• National Transportation Safety Board• US Department of Transportation• School Bus Information Council
QUESTIONS?