How Good Are Your School Bus Drivers...?

Points to Ponder:

• Who checks the credentials of the school bus drivers that drive your students to school?
• What type of assessment is done throughout the school year as to their performance?
• Do parents and school officials have a process for assessing bus driver performance or do you react to an incident and then fix the problem after the fact...? 

Incident:
A West Haven CT bus driver was charged with driving with a suspended license and due to his poor judgement and substandard driving performance for putting 21 students lives at risk. The bus he was driving got stuck under a bridge in water (due to flooding) under the Washington Ave bridge following a ongoing rainstorm. The students had to stand on the seats as water flowed through the bus. The driver was 70 years old and he disregarded an orange cone warning of the rising flood waters. He drove over the cone and got stuck in the rising water until the bus stalled. The driver was charged with 21 counts of risk of injury to a minor as a result.

Just because school buses are out of sight and out of mind is no reason to assume the school bus drivers are administratively current in their certifications, and operationally sound in the employment of their vehicle.