September 2006 Ulster BOCES Hosts School Bus Driver Training
Maintaining safe transportation for the children of Ulster County is a priority of all educators. Ulster BOCES recently hosted five school bus driver training sessions for more than 400 drivers, monitors, and attendants from Ulster County school districts and school bus contractors who serve local schools.
“The New York State Education Department requires that all school bus drivers, monitors, and attendants receive a minimum of two hours of refresher instruction at least twice a year (conducted during specific times) in school bus safety,” explains Gianna Russo, transportation coordinator for Ulster BOCES.
All bus training is provided by, and under direct supervision of, a certified school bus driver instructor (SBDI). During the classes, defensive driving skills and hazard awareness were highlighted. Additional training covered the national School Bus Watch program, which was developed after 9/11 by three industries—the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), and the National School Transportation Association (NSTA). The program is the school bus version of the national security and safety highway transportation program Highway Watch?. Drivers and personnel received classroom instruction as well as hands-on lessons.
“The program was so successful in the trucking industry, that officials took a look at the amount of area our school buses cover and saw it as another arena this tool would work with,” says Maureen Ryan, director of transportation at New Paltz Central School District and a certified School Bus Watch instructor.
According to Ryan, the New York Association of Pupil Transportation statistics indicate that there are 50,000 school buses out on the roads daily statewide; 440,000 nationwide. “Ten percent of the country’s school bus transportation is in New York State,” reiterates Ryan. “The Highway Watch program was revamped to be specifically geared to school bus specifications.”
Funded by the United States Department of Homeland Security, School Bus Watch was designed to educate school transportation professionals (school bus drivers, transportation administration, and support staff, including dispatchers, mechanics, and bus aides) and make them aware of potential dangers, such as terrorists threats. Drivers are taught how to identify such a threat and to report anything suspicious or unusual along the individual bus routes to the proper authorities.
“We explain to the drivers to look for anything out of the ordinary,” notes Ryan. “Once they have become familiar with their routes, we ask them to report anything unusual that they see—a vehicle abandoned for an extended period of time, unfamiliar faces, anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. If it’s an absolute emergency, dial 911. Otherwise, they should call the Highway Watch Center and give them their ID number and suspicious siting.”
Outside the Ulster BOCES Conference Center in New Paltz, Peter Montalvo, a certified School Bus Watch instructor and interim transportation superintendent for the Onteora Central School District, points out several places bus drivers should always check on a school bus. “When boarding a bus, especially after being somewhere new or after the bus has been empty for a time, School Bus Watch trains drivers to conduct an inspection of the bus and to check in areas they don’t normally have to during pre-trip inspections. We advise them to pay attention to anything that looks unusual or out of place and immediately report it to the proper authorities.”
For more information on the School Bus Watch or Highway Watch programs, contact the Ulster BOCES Transportation Department at (845) 691-3615 or visit www.highwaywatch.com.
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