The Road to Learning
Transportation 101
CASBO
November 7, 2013
Shawn Higginbotham, Associate Superintendent
Lake Hamilton School District
Topics
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Legal Basis and Authority
Drivers
Safety
Preparedness
Equipment
Inspections and Maintenance
State Reporting
Do school buses matter?
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Safety
Traffic
Environment
Reliability
Free access to
education
Evolution of School Transportation
Quick Facts
In Arkansas:
Approximately 5,000 route buses
325,000 student passengers
243,000 route miles per day
43,200,000 miles per year
2 fatalities since 2001
922 square miles in largest school district
22 square miles in smallest
2011-12 Student Transportation Data
Statewide expenditures: $196,344,334
4.8% of net total expenditures
Range per pupil spending: $115 to $1,123
Avg. per pupil spending: $450.59
Avg. cost per mile: $3.86
$1.64 for driver costs
$2.22 to operate and maintain
Compiled from the Annual Statistical Report
Funding
Included in the per pupil funding model (matrix)
• Fiscal Year 14
$315.50
($6,393)
• Fiscal Year 15
$321.20
($6,521)
Supplemental Transportation Funding 2011-12
Is public school pupil transportation…
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Required?
Necessary?
Effective?
Efficient?
Expected?
Part of an “adequate” education?
A headache?!!
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…”
• Not be required but EXPECTED
Main State Governing Agency
Division of Public School
Academic Facilities and
Transportation
Policy Requirements
• School Districts must have written policies for:
– Transportation eligibility
– Student behavior while being transported
– Emergency procedures while being transported
School Bus Drivers
Driver Qualifications
• 6-19-106
– 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”
Other Driver Requirements
• 6-19-107 submit to driving record checks
• 6-19-108 pass exams required 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 (generally)
• Endorsements required
– “S” School Bus
– “P” Passenger
– Air Brakes
• Driver records checked twice annually
• District maintains records
Physical Exams Required
• 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 ≥ 5 ft.
– 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
Driver Training
• Local driver training program required
• Minimum of 24 hours of pre-service training
• DPSAFT will provide three hours training
annually
• DPSAFT will issue certification of completion
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’ Benefits
• Insurance eligibility (6-17-1116)
– Defines full time status – 720 hours during the
school year (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 match
• Paid sick leave eligibility (6-17-1301)
– Works “not less than 20 hours per week”
– One day per month or major portion thereof
Driver Records
• Bus driver files should include:
– Current CDL
– Physical examination
– Proof of state & federal background check (after
4/10/1997)
– Central registry check (after 7/1/09)
– Semi-annual driving records check
– TB test results
– Proof of pre-employment drug and alcohol testing
(after 12/31/1995)
– Any random drug testing
Driver Recruitment
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Parents (usually mom)
Grandparents
Law Enforcement Officers
Ministers/Pastors
Self-employed (farmers, barbers, etc.)
Retirees (bored or broke)
Non-insured ??
Driver Retention
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Banquet
Awards
Jackets/Shirts
Benefits
Trips
Simple Appreciation: “Thank You”
Support from Administrators, Parents
Equipment Improvement
Substitute Drivers
• Important to provide
– training
– route description sheet
– information about students with special needs
– support and TLC
– morning departure time
– special mechanical quirks
• Must meet all CDL requirements
Safety
“American students are nearly eight times safer
riding in a school bus than with their own
parents and guardians in cars.”
Fatality rates per 100 million miles traveled:
School buses
.02 fatalities
Cars
1.5 fatalities
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Loading/Unloading 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
Loading Danger Zone
Driver Responsibilities
• 27-51-1002 requires drivers to conduct pretrip inspections
• 6-19-102 requires drivers to use seat belt
No Firearms
• 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…”
Prohibited Entry
• 5-39-214 prohibits unauthorized entry of a school bus and requires
signage
– A person over 18 may not
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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
Cell Phones Prohibited
• 6-19-120 prohibits driver use of cell phone
while operating bus except in emergency or
breakdown
Penalties for Drug Activity
• 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
Passengers Must Be Seated
• 6-19-119
– Driver may not
operate until every
passenger is seated
– Accountability is
assigned to
superintendent
– Imposes fines for
knowingly violating
Anti-Bullying
• 6-18-514
• “…shall adopt policies to prevent pupil
harassment known as bullying…”
• “…on school buses, at designated stops…”
• Requires anti-bullying notices to be posted on
buses
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.
Speeding
• Buses must observe speed limits for other
traffic except when commercial vehicle limit is
posted differently.
• Example: Speed limit on an interstate is
posted as 75 and 65 for trucks. School buses
must observe the 65 mph limit.
Being Prepared
Evacuation Drills
Tornado Procedure
• Use the best available procedure for your part
of the state
• Consult administrators and others
Accident Kit
The kit should contain:
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Clipboard, ink pens
Blank seating charts
Camera
Laminated business cards with phone/fax numbers
and addresses
– 100 foot tape measure,
– Insurance info
– Phone numbers
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Drug and alcohol testing
Wrecker services
Area hospital(s)
Drivers’ emergency contacts
– Umbrella
Accident Action Plan
• Designate employees for these 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)
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Notify driver’s family/spouse
Notify insurance company
Take and log phone calls
Operate the radio
Dispatch requested equipment and personnel
Procedure to release students to parents
Post-accident parent notification
Official statement
Accident Action Plan (cont’d)
• Complete seating chart
• Generate a passenger list
– parent name, address, phone number
– student name and date of birth
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Deliver replacement bus
Find replacement driver
Photograph scene
Remove wrecked bus
Equipment
Special Consideration
• Pre-school children
• Special needs students
Specifications
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6-19-111 design and operation
6-19-113 exempt - motor vehicle registration
6-19-116 mirrors
6-19-117 strobe lights and crossing gates
27-51-1002 color, warning lights, signage
Permit Numbering System
9-5-11
• First number – County
• Second Number – District
• Third number – Bus
• Statute ACA 6-19-115
Special Safety Features
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Passenger crash protection
Better brakes
Warning lights
Special mirrors
Swing-out stop arms and crossing gates
Emergency exits
Rollover protection
Fuel system protection
Modernization
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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
Equipment Replacement
• Buses may not be more than twenty years old
• All buses must pass State Inspection
Inspections and Maintenance
Records
Preventive Maintenance Inspections
Four PMI inspections per year
Performed locally
Inpsection
Intervals in Miles
A
1000 miles (or monthly)
B
3,000 (gas) 6,000 (diesel)
C
12,000
D
24,000
Requirements
Safety equipment and air brake adjustment
A+ oil change
A+B+ tune up (gasoline only)
A+B+C+ transmission
Bus Records
• PMI documented on DPSAFT forms
• Kept as long as the district owns the bus
• Repair work orders repairs signed by mechanic
• Driver daily inspection forms
Maintenance Files
• Includes:
– All mechanical work
– Parts removed or replaced
– Year, make, model, VIN, mileage, bus number,
district
– Date of various inspections, repairs, maintenance
• Readily accessible to DPSAFT inspectors
State/Local Inspections
• State 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
• District mechanic – 2 inspections per year
School Bus Inspection Handbook
• Criteria for bus to remain in service
• Local inspection guidelines
• Technical standards for repair and
replacement
Inspection Results
Fiscal Year 2011
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
State Reporting Requirements
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
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Name of each employee with CDL
SSN
CDL #
Date of most recent physical
• Confirmation of
– Driving records check
– Non-Criminal Background Check
– Pre-Employment Drug/Alcohol Screen
• Annual training date
Pupil Transportation Data
• Distance from school
• Transportation Eligibility
– T= resides at least 2 miles from school
– N=resides ˂ 2 miles from school
• Travel Type
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B=bus
G=parent/guardian
D=drives self
P=district paid
Other Transportation Data
• Supplemental Transportation
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Choice
Transfers
Special Education
Non-Public School Students
• Bus Safety Program
• Extracurricular Athletic Miles Traveled
• Extracurricular Non-Athletic Miles Traveled
• Fleet Insurance Carrier
Initiatives
• Mobile Learning Technology Pilot Program
• Parental Volunteer Monitors on School Buses
• Safety Equipment Grant Program
• Compressed Natural Gas Bus Pilot Program
• Green Ribbon Schools – Alternative Transp.
Resources for More Information
• Division of Public School Academic Facilities and
Transportation
• National Association for Pupil Transportation
• National School Transportation Association
• National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation
• School Bus Fleet
• School Transportation News
• National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
• National Transportation Safety Board
• US Department of Transportation
• School Bus Information Council