WHY ARE STUDENTS LEFT
STRANDED ON SCHOOL BUSES?
23rd Annual Lake Yale Training Meeting –
The Safe Transportation of Our Future Is Our #1 Priority – March 25-28, 2013
Morrison Family Outraged After 4-YearOld Boy Left On School Bus For 8 Hours
MORRISON, Oklahoma –
The family of a 4-year-old left on a school bus for eight
hours is outraged. Gavin Cook fell asleep on the way to
school in Morrison on Monday.
After dropping off all the kids, the driver never did a
final walk through on the bus before parking it for the
day.
Inside the bus is where Gavin remained until he was
found at the end of the school day.
His family says it never should have happened, especially
after teachers realized Gavin wasn't in class Monday.
"They didn't make the call to see where he was and they
noticed at 9:15 that he was missing" said Gavin's
grandmother Teresa Cook.
The Morrison school system admits a huge mistake was
made.
The superintendent Jay Vernon was the first to find Gavin
and provided the pre-kindergartner with chips and water
before taking him home.
Vernon says he isn't sure how or if the driver of the bus will
be disciplined.
The Morrison school system is small, with teachers and even
the superintendent himself working as bus drivers as well.
The Cooks say Gavin was traumatized by the experience.
The family plans to take their complaint to the State
Superintendent.
"I want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else,"
Teresa Cook said.
Driver Is Fired After Leaving Special-Needs Student
On Bus For 5 Hours
CRESTWOOD, Ill. (CBS) – The Alpha School Bus Co. said Friday it
has fired the bus driver who left a special-needs student on a bus
in south suburban Crestwood for five hours earlier this week.
It was the first day back at school for Alexis Robinson, who has
Down Syndrome and attends special education classes in Orlando
Park.
The school bus picked Robinson up at her home in Country Club
Hills promptly at 7:39 a.m. Tuesday for the trip to school.
Robinson remained on the bus when it was returned to the
Crestwood terminal and parked.
She was not discovered until the bus driver began her afternoon
route at 1:30 p.m. to pick up the students and take them home.
Robinson was unharmed.
Even though the bus driver apologized, Alexis grandmother
Ms. Daniels said, “She should never be allowed to drive a
bus again.”
Crestwood police said the matter is under investigation.
State law requires school bus drivers to walk to the rear of
the bus and make a visual sweep, checking for passengers
after each route to prevent such incidents.
The Alpha School Bus barn also has several signs posted
reminding drivers to check for sleeping children, Ms. Daniels
said.
9-year-old Boy Abandoned on School Bus,
Then Attacked by Pit Bull
HOUSTON –
A private school bus driver has been arrested and
charged with child endangerment after leaving a 9-yearold boy on a bus.
The boy fell asleep on the bus Wednesday morning.
Driver Simona Charez Alcaide, 52, apparently didn’t
notice he was still there and she parked the bus in a
northwest Houston lot and left.
The boy woke up shortly after noon. He got off the bus and
came face to face with an angry pit bull.
Witnesses saw the guard dog lunge toward the boy and
grab him by his backpack.
Workers at a nearby sign shop were having lunch across the
street when they heard the child screaming.
"He was calling for his mom, like, ‘Mom, Mom, somebody
help me!' " said Damian Garcia. "The dog was shaking the
kid in the air, about two or three times in the air.“
Garcia, his brother, Juan, and other Good Samaritans threw
food at the pit bull to distract it.
They then cupped their hands so the boy could step up and
over the tall, gated wrought iron fence.
"We sat him down and gave him a bottle of water and I
said, 'Are you okay?' He was shaking and I am too," said
Mary Martin, who comforted the boy after the ordeal as
they waited for police and paramedics to arrive.
The child was taken to Northwest Memorial Herman and
was treated and released for cuts and scratches. He had no
bite marks, according to Houston Police.
School Districts Seldom Call Police When
Children Left on School Bus
Are Schools Required to Report Incidents
To the State?
INDIANAPOLIS –
A national school bus transportation expert is pushing for change
following a Call 6 Investigation into children left alone on Indiana
school buses.
The Call 6 Investigators reported school districts and bus
companies have to report when a child is left behind per a new
state law that went into effect, but some argue there’re not
enough teeth in the law to keep children safe.
Records obtained from the Indiana Department of Education
show 69 incidents since July 2009.
But national transportation expert Richard Fischer told Call 6
Investigator Kara Kenney there’s a double standard.
Parents who leave their child alone in a car often face jail time
and hefty fines, but bus drivers rarely face criminal charges for
leaving a child alone on a school bus.
“I think the police
should be involved in each one,” said Richard
Fischer, a national transportation expert who has trained bus drivers
since 1959.
“It’s negligence when you leave a youngster on a bus.”
The Call 6 Investigators found when police were called, bus drivers
who failed to check for children sometimes received a ticket for an
infraction, which carries a fine of up to $500.
In comparison, court records show parents often face felony
criminal neglect charges, which carry a possible sentence of up to
three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Fischer said Indiana needs tougher criminal penalties for bus drivers
who leave children in dangerous situations.
“I like New Jersey Law,” said Fischer. “It’s that (bus drivers) lose their
license for six months. And if you do it again, you lose it forever.”
Indiana is one of the few states that require school districts to report
to the state when a child is left on a school bus, but the Call 6
Investigators also found there’s no punishment for school districts
who fail to do so.
In New Jersey, school districts can face sanctions for violation of
state law, including loss of state funding.
“I think there should be punishment,” said Fischer. “If that’s the law,
that’s the law.”
Indiana lawmakers admit there’s room for improvement in the law
itself.
It’s imperative, that every student transportation operation have measures in place to
prevent pupils from being left on the bus.
Reasons for leaving
If every school bus driver thoroughly checked the seats and floor of his or her bus
after every run, no child would ever be left behind. The issue seems simple enough.
Yet when one look into the reasons that the checking process is forgotten or botched,
it becomes clear that the matter is more complicated.
• Drivers are often in a hurry to get off the bus
• Drivers may be in a rush to get to a doctor appointment
• Drivers are often in a hurry to return home to care for a sick son or daughter or
simply to end the workday.
• Drivers often have a lot on their minds.
Taking a leading role
School bus drivers are among the most highly trained and professional drivers on the road.
They are not, of course, perfect. So expecting them to never forget to check their bus without
having any backup measures in place is a gamble.
“Anytime you have a human system, you’re going to have some errors made,” Jones notes.
He says that managers need to ensure that drivers are given solid training and constant
reminders on the subject.
Beyond that, there should be an electronic or manual device to verify that the checking is
done.
Drivers are more likely to skip post-trip inspections if they know that a manager isn’t
checking up on them.
• Go out into the yard and be visible when buses are coming in.
• Add five minutes of pay for post-trip checking.
• Detroit Public Schools, required each terminal managers to pledge that their buses
were being checked by signing a document and faxing it to the central
transportation office.
Planning for prevention
A prevention program should begin with pre-service training and continue with in-service
sessions.
Drivers should be taught not only how to check their bus, but also what can happen if they
don’t.
Check all seats and floor spaces for children left on or sleeping.
• Drivers should be instructed to check each seat on the way to the back and to look at
the floor in front of each seat — which also gives a view of the space under the next
seat — while walking to the front. When done correctly, it takes 30 to 45 seconds
• Drivers can go outside the bus and open one of the emergency doors to get a good
view of the floor.
• Also, drivers should check the bus after before leaving a school drop-off.
Refreshing their memory
Part of a supervisor’s role in preventing incidents of abandonment is making sure that drivers
are constantly reminded of this element of their duties.
Becoming equipped
Various forms of equipment can help ensure that drivers walk to the back of the bus after
a run.
• Flags and Signs that drivers post in the rear window
• “BUS EMPTY” and sticks to the glass with two suction cups
• Electronic systems in which the driver must deactivate an alarm
at the back of the bus before exiting
• Child Reminder System
• Have driver sweep the bus after each bus route
Fitting the punishment
There are conflicting opinions on what punishment should follow a child-abandonment
incident on a school bus.
Many transportation officials say that a zero-tolerance policy is the only way to go.
Navigating the wake
Dealing with the parents of a child who was left on the bus is likely one of the less
desirable situations a transportation manager might be faced with.
When you’re talking to a parent, you just don’t have an excuse.
APOLOGIZE, APOLOGIZE, APOLOGIZE
You have to understand where the parents are coming from, because it’s their kid.
Transportation School Districts and Bus Companies are all about safety, and one of your
drivers has just broken one of the biggest rules by leaving a child on the bus.”
MARION COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TRANSPORTATION
OPERATIONS HANDBOOK
Revised 2012-2013
Preface
The Transportation Services Operations Handbook has been prepared to provide you
with a basic blueprint with which to perform your job successfully. It is a reference
to be applied, along with fundamental logic, to the day-to-day transporting of
students to and from Marion County Public Schools.
It is your primary responsibility to read and understand the procedures provided
herein.
Non-compliance with the applicable Florida Statutes, State Board of Education Rules,
Marion County School Board Policies and the Marion County Public School System
Transportation Operating Procedures provided in this handbook may be deemed as
a deliberate disregard for same.
I acknowledge receipt of this Transportation Operations Handbook for the School
Year 2012-2013.
______________________________
(Signature)
Print Name_____________________
________________
(Date)
Transportation Operating Procedure
No. 7 - Leaving Children Unattended in a Motor Vehicle
July 1, 1991
(Revised July, 2012)
FL State Statue 316.6135;
State Board of Education Rules
Reference 6A3.0171;
FAPT Basic School Bus Operator
Curriculum Unit VIII;
MCPS Board Policy 8.30
POST-TRIP INSPECTIONS - ZERO TOLERANCE
§316.6135. Leaving children unattended or unsupervised in motor vehicle; penalty; authority of law enforcement officer.
(1) parent, legal guardian, or other person responsible for a child younger than 6 years of age may not leave such child unattended or unsupervised in a motor vehicle:
(a) For a period in excess of 15 minutes;
(b) For any period of time if the motor of the vehicle is running or the health of the child is in danger.
(2) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (1)(a) commits a misdemeanor of the second degree punishable as provide in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(3) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (1) (b) is guilty of a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable by a fine of not less than $50 and not more than
$500.
(4) Any person who violates subsection (1) and in so doing causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement to a child commits a felony of
the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s 775083, or s 775.084.
PURPOSE: To adopt a policy regarding this subject in order to comply with state statutes, Motor Vehicle Laws of Florida 316.6135 and provide additional safeguards for
transported students.
PROCEDURES:
Even though the bus driver is primarily responsible to do a vehicle trip inspection, the aide is also responsible to conduct a vehicle inspection. All school bus drivers must
conduct post-trip inspections as required as School Bus Driver Responsibilities. Post-trip inspections shall include, but are not limited to, walking from one end of the
bus to the other, checking behind and under every bus seat for students remaining on the bus. Post trip inspections must be performed after each bus run, as well as at
the bus storage compound.
The intent of the Zero Tolerance Policy is to make sure that no student is left on the bus without adult supervision during or after the completion of a bus run or at the
bus storage compound. Accordingly, the Handbook for School Bus Drivers, Aides and Operations Staff imposes an affirmative duty on the driver and aide to conduct the
required pre-trip, between-trip and post-trip inspections. This duty cannot be delegated.
Zero tolerance means that if a driver fails to perform a post trip inspection, and a child is left on the bus without adult supervision after the completion of a bus run, or
at the bus storage compound, the driver will be dismissed from all employment with The Marion County School Board, in Florida. NOTE: If you feel that emergency
medical help is necessary, obtain assistance by having Station One call 911 immediately.
2011 Florida Statutes
316.6135 Leaving children unattended or unsupervised in motor vehicles; penalty; authority of law enforcement officer.—
(1) A parent, legal guardian, or other person responsible for a child younger than 6 years of age may not leave such child unattended or unsupervised in a
motor vehicle:
(a) For a period in excess of 15 minutes;
(b) For any period of time if the motor of the vehicle is running or the health of the child is in danger.
(2)
Any person who violates the provisions of paragraph (1)(a) commits a misdemeanor of the second
degree punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(3)
Any person who violates the provisions of paragraph (1)(b) is guilty of a noncriminal traffic infraction,
punishable by a fine not less than $50 and not more than $500.
(4) Any person who violates subsection (1) and in so doing causes great bodily harm, permanent disability,
or permanent disfigurement to a child commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
(5)
Any law enforcement officer who observes a child left unattended or unsupervised in a motor vehicle
in violation of subsection (1) may use whatever means are reasonably necessary to protect the minor child and to remove the child from the vehicle.
(6)
If the child is removed from the immediate area, notification should be placed on the vehicle.
(7)
The child shall be remanded to the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services pursuant
to chapter 39, unless the law enforcement officer is able to locate the parents or legal guardian or other person responsible for the child.
History.—s. 1, ch. 85-229; s. 4, ch. 87-225; s. 330, ch. 95-148; s. 57, ch. 99-8; s. 241, ch. 99-248; s. 1, ch. 2007-205.
Transportation Operating Procedure
No. 9 - Students on Wrong Bus
October 1,, 1990
(Revised July, 2007)
FL State Statue 1006.21;
State Board of Education Rules
Reference 6A3.0171;
FAPT Basic School Bus Operator
Curriculum Unit I;
MCPS Board Policy 8.30
PURPOSE: To outline procedures for the safety and protection of students who may have inadvertently boarded the wrong bus.
PROCEDURES: If a student has inadvertently boarded or been placed on a bus by mistake, you are to adhere to the following procedures:
Notify the zone coordinator’s office immediately for further instructions.
If communication with the zone coordinators office is not possible, contact Station One or other Zone Administration.
If communication with station one is not possible, and you are too far away from the school to go back, continue your route till finished, then
return to school or take child back to your compound to contact his or her parent or guardian.
Under no circumstances will you allow the student to leave your bus after leaving the school.
Transportation Operating Procedure
No. 32 – Student Identification and Registration
July 2010
State Board of Education 6A3.0171
Purpose: To ensure that every child is transported to the correct stop and is appropriately registered for the bus.
After the first 10 days of school, the following procedures will be adhered to improve the identification and safety of our students.
This procedure applies to all grade levels.
In cooperation with the Principal, seating charts will be developed and updated as necessary so the driver can identify students on
the bus in case of emergency.
Attendance will be taken as students exit the bus at the school.
Attendance should be taken by the driver in the AM and PM from the roster or seating chart.
Any student that is not on the route roster and has NOT supplied a bus pass to the driver will have an arm band affixed to his /
her wrist.
This will identify the student to the school to supply a bus pass and to register the student for transportation services.
Students should be reminded to go to the school administration to register for the route.
The attendance process should be performed in a way that supports the needs of the school. The driver is to work with the school
administration to expedite this process. This process should add very little time to the unloading process.
When loading the bus at the school for the trip home, written attendance will be taken using the seating chart, or roster with bus
passes or attendance sheet.
Attendance will be taken on the bus by the driver, or, at the Principal’s discretion. Every student should be either listed on the roster
or have a bus pass and should be checked by the driver prior to releasing student.
A bus pass is good for 2 weeks if it is being used for the purposes of pending registration.
A student that is not on the roster and has not supplied a bus pass will be returned to the school administration and will not be
transported home.
“Let Do Our Part”
By applying multiple strategies to train, remind and check up on drivers will help
ensure the safety of precious cargo.
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Charmaine