Even with all the technology in the world today, there are still millions of people who don’t have either a computer or a cellphone, including far too many students. Google argues that this lack of connectivity has the greatest impact on students from low-income families living in rural areas. To its credit, the company conceived an innovative way to do something about it.

The idea behind Google’s “Rolling Study Halls” program is turning commute time into learning time.  Google has been financing pilot programs over the last couple years in North and South Carolina. Participating school districts receive mobile Wi-Fi routers, data plans, and Chromebook laptops for students to use going to and from school on their school buses.

In addition, each bus gets an “onboard educator,” a special proctor to help students with both school assignments and any technology issues.  Google sets up the onboard system to block access to social media sites limiting students’ Wi-Fi use to educational sites.

Preliminary results from the pilot projects look very promising. School bus drivers like it because, with students occupied doing class assignments during their rides, there is less need for driver attention to maintaining order and discipline on the bus. Students in the program are showing improvements in reading and math proficiency as well as knowledge of the digital world that many of them lacked beforehand.

Google is therefore expanding this project to 16 more rural school districts in 12 states: Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

The recent fatal school bus crash in New Jersey and new recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have led to an effort in Congress to require seat belts on school buses across the country.

An announcement was made regarding a new bipartisan bill that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to begin the rulemaking process on new federal requirements for seat belts on school buses.

The legislation is dubbed the Secure Every Child Under the Right Equipment Standards (SECURES) Act.  The proposal does not specify that the DOT rulemaking would have to be for lap-shoulder belts. Rather, it would direct the DOT to consider the added safety benefits of lap/shoulder seat belts while making a decision and it would require the DOT to include NTSB’s recommendations. The bill summary cites NTSB’s new special investigation report on school bus safety, which recommends that states mandate lap-shoulder belts for all new large school buses.

The launch of the SECURES Act legislation follows the May 17 school bus crash in Mount Olive, New Jersey, that killed a student and a teacher. The bus in that crash was reportedly equipped with lap-only belts, as required by New Jersey law.

There are only a few states that have a law in effect requiring lap-shoulder belts on school buses, but some are contingent on funding.  Now instead of each state’s legislators drafting a new law, Congress is taking steps to make this a nationwide law!

More than 16,000 school buses in New York City will soon have a traction recovery device on board under a newly approved contract with Trac-Grabber LLC.

Trac-Grabber is described as a rescue and recovery device that can be strapped to the wheels of a vehicle, in this case school buses, to help the driver get “unstuck” from snow, mud, or sand.  The devices have straps that go through the holes in the tire rim after the hubcaps have been removed. The wheels spin to the point that they engage, lift, and move the vehicle to safer ground. They are installed on the “drive wheels” that receive power from the engine and the transmission.

For the New York City Department of Education contract, the Florida-based company will provide three models of its traction grips and a one-time training for each contracted school bus operator.

The devices would be good for any area that gets its fair share of rain and snow!

School bus fleet maintenance managers face challenges in trying to control costs that continue to rise.

Costs are increasing very quickly for tires, emission systems, labor, and many other parts. The maintenance manager can no longer find ways to reduce actual cost or maintain the margin of the total budget relative to transportation operating costs.

Fleet maintenance managers must justify reality with a new generation of mangers who perceive value by measuring charts, graphs, predictions, and cost benchmarking – all in a way to reduce costs or fix the perceived problem on a short-term, cost-cutting basis, without any consideration for performance benchmarking.

The following scenario happens more and more frequently – A new transportation manager is told that his/her responsibility includes the maintenance department, yet maintenance is not his/her forte – So, the new manager’s style and approach is to measure cost – make charts and graphs. His boss is happy because now they both can look at the same reports and both conclude that the costs are too high. They are not meeting the budget so they plan to drive cost out without seeing in real life where the money is being spent, such as the performance upkeep for an aging fleet of school buses with only a sprinkling of new 2018 units within it.

What truly works though, are the basic simplified methods: A prescribed fleet replacement plan supported by a good maintenance policy, with a defined process and efficient practices. Then an administration add-on of non-burdening “micro-measurement” through charts and graphs is only required to understand the effectiveness of the maintenance process – not control it.

While you must measure, you must also understand each other’s thought process and work jointly – Board, Administration and Transportation. All must work towards the common goal of being the safest and most cost-effective school bus maintenance provider.

Ralph Hendrix, who developed and formalized the South Carolina Department of Education’s statewide school bus transportation operations recently passed away at the age of 97.  Hendrix was just three weeks shy of celebrating his 98th birthday.

He joined the department after serving with the U.S. Navy in World War II from 1943-1945.  He was named assistant director of transportation in 1953, two years after receiving his master’s degree from the University of South Carolina.

Hendrix was promoted to director of transportation in 1957 and is credited with transforming the small and disorganized system run by local school districts into a statewide network of school buses owned, operated and maintained by the department of education.

Donald Tudor, who became state transportation director in 1991 when Hendrix retired, called him a “gentleman” and “a wonderful leader and friend to many in the school transportation industry across the country.”

“He was the person that took a badly disorganized 1950s school transportation program and converted it to an efficient operation second to none,” Tudor told STN. “Under his guidance, the South Carolina school transportation program became a program that was proud to equally serve every student with the highest level of service.”

Hendrix oversaw 6,400 school buses, 44 maintenance and 5,700 school bus drivers when he retired. South Carolina Department of Education continues to be the only state agency nationwide to manage all aspects of student transportation.

The U.S. and many other places around the world have regrettably witnessed an apparent increase in school violence. That violence often comes in the form of an active shooter.

Nearly 11 years ago, Gray Ram Tactical LLC conducted a research study to determine the profile of an active killer inside of the educational institution — including the morning school bus ride, through the school day, and until the end of extracurricular activities in the evening.

Research showed that since the time of the Columbine shootings, many active killers committing an attack inside of a school have traveled to the school building via numerous different means. Some walked to school carrying their weapons, some drove themselves to the school with their weapons, and some were given rides by friends or family to the school with their weapons.

More contemporarily, killers have been transported to school via the school bus. Students bent on violence have carried their weapons (knives, bombs, guns) onto the school bus and have ridden to school, being delivered directly to their unsuspecting victims.

It is imperative that the school bus driver of today be aware of the many warning signs and indicators of violence that are present in these types of situations. Previous indicators might include a student that has brought a weapon to school in the past or has made recent threats. Immediate indicators might include such things as inappropriate clothing, distinct behavioral changes, or a security tap.

A security tap is an action that a person will take subconsciously to reassure himself that the item he is attempting to hide is still concealed. It is a telltale sign that a person is hiding something. The person will touch the item routinely and at certain times, such as when bending over, standing up, or turning quickly.

Being able to identify signs of concealed weapons is a life and death skill.  Regrettably, active killers don’t have bright colors or flashing lights drawing attention to themselves. Fortunately, though, they do display observable signals. Pupil transportation professionals must be prepared to identify those crucial signals.

Last week we talked about how South Carolina has handled fires that have occurred on school buses.  Given the number of school bus fires, it’s very important that bus drivers take every precaution to keep them to a minimum — a task that requires constant vigilance, updating school bus safety procedures, maintaining equipment, and training.

But students can also play a part in helping to save lives and prevent injuries.  School bus evacuation drills can make a world of difference in preparing students to safely escape a burning bus. According to statistics, a fully loaded school bus can be evacuated in under a minute if the students have practiced evacuation drills.

During the drills, students should learn:
• When to evacuate a bus.
• The types of evacuations (front, rear door, roof, and side window).
• The importance of evacuating in a calm and orderly fashion.
• How to operate emergency equipment and open the emergency exits.
• Where to go and what to do once the bus has been evacuated.

In addition, older students should be designated to help the young ones in an emergency evacuation. Finally, the students should perform actual test evacuations.

The speed of the evacuation and the safety of the children involved are directly related to how well they have been trained.  Performing the drills on a regular basis and educating the students as to how to do it correctly is so very important.

There has been no shortage of school bus fires in the news lately.  Reports in the past few months have included:

• An empty school bus in Massachusetts caught fire while warming up.
• School buses in Alabama and South Carolina caught fire while students were on board (all were safely evacuated).
• Tragically, a school bus in Iowa caught fire and took the lives of its driver and a student.

The reasons for the fires are many: turbocharger, engine, and mechanical failures occur; wires loosen or rub against engine parts; old parts lose their integrity; tires explode; circuit boards become overloaded; and leaks release inflammatory fluids.  Fortunately, few injuries or fatalities have resulted from the fires.

Inspection and maintenance are the backbone of school bus fire prevention, and that’s the first thing the South Carolina Department of Education (DOE) addressed when its school buses started catching fire more frequently.  Following the top-to-bottom inspections, buses with equipment or mechanical problems were repaired or taken off the road immediately, per Ryan Brown the South Carolina DOE’s chief communications officer says.

South Carolina also upped its inspection schedule. While it normally inspects buses five to seven times a year, it made seven inspections a year mandatory for its fire-prone 1995 and 1996 rear-engine buses. The state also brought in an outside automotive engineering company and engineers from the bus manufacturer to review its maintenance and safety procedures.  “You don’t want people grading their own practices,” Brown says. “It was important to have the manufacturers, their engineers, and a third-party opinion validate our practice.”

To prevent school bus fires, the South Carolina DOE also took preventive action. It installed heat sensors, which alert the driver anytime a bus overheats, in all the engine compartments of its 1995 and 1996 buses.Driver inspections are also crucial in preventing school bus fires.

As replacing buses comes with a hefty price tag, the South Carolina DOE is buying many of its new school buses with a master lease program. Rather than spending at least $20 million upfront for new buses, the DOE buys new buses with a loan secured by the treasurer’s department and makes annual payments on each one for five years. Brown says the bank will secure the loan as long as the DOE gets recurring funding from the South Carolina General Assembly. The DOE hopes to use the lease-to-own model for the majority of its school bus purchases in the future.

There has been no shortage of school bus fires in the news lately.  Reports in the past few months have included:

• An empty school bus in Massachusetts caught fire while warming up.
• School buses in Alabama and South Carolina caught fire while students were on board (all were safely evacuated).
• Tragically, a school bus in Iowa caught fire and took the lives of its driver and a student.

The reasons for the fires are many: turbocharger, engine, and mechanical failures occur; wires loosen or rub against engine parts; old parts lose their integrity; tires explode; circuit boards become overloaded; and leaks release inflammatory fluids.  Fortunately, few injuries or fatalities have resulted from the fires.

Inspection and maintenance are the backbone of school bus fire prevention, and that’s the first thing the South Carolina Department of Education (DOE) addressed when its school buses started catching fire more frequently.  Following the top-to-bottom inspections, buses with equipment or mechanical problems were repaired or taken off the road immediately, per Ryan Brown the South Carolina DOE’s chief communications officer says.

South Carolina also upped its inspection schedule. While it normally inspects buses five to seven times a year, it made seven inspections a year mandatory for its fire-prone 1995 and 1996 rear-engine buses. The state also brought in an outside automotive engineering company and engineers from the bus manufacturer to review its maintenance and safety procedures.  “You don’t want people grading their own practices,” Brown says. “It was important to have the manufacturers, their engineers, and a third-party opinion validate our practice.”

To prevent school bus fires, the South Carolina DOE also took preventive action. It installed heat sensors, which alert the driver anytime a bus overheats, in all the engine compartments of its 1995 and 1996 buses.Driver inspections are also crucial in preventing school bus fires.

As replacing buses comes with a hefty price tag, the South Carolina DOE is buying many of its new school buses with a master lease program. Rather than spending at least $20 million upfront for new buses, the DOE buys new buses with a loan secured by the treasurer’s department and makes annual payments on each one for five years. Brown says the bank will secure the loan as long as the DOE gets recurring funding from the South Carolina General Assembly. The DOE hopes to use the lease-to-own model for the majority of its school bus purchases in the future.

A school bus driver from Burnsville, Minn., was removed from his route last week for leading students in prayer and reportedly creating an environment forcing them to pray on his bus, which he disputes, the Star Tribune reports.

George Nathaniel works for Quality Care Transportation, and is also a pastor of a Minneapolis congregation, according to the newspaper. He started working for the company in January 2017, and began incorporating prayer into the nearly two-hour bus ride for students this winter. He told the Star Tribune that students volunteered to lead prayers.

However, Muk Musa, the owner of the company, told the newspaper that school officials received complaints that Nathaniel “was influencing minors to the point where he was forcing them to pray.” Musa added that he lets drivers take time for personal prayer, and that leading students in prayer is not a bus driver’s job. Nathaniel said he was shocked that parents complained, because he had discussed praying on the bus with them.  He said that children need more prayer in their lives, and alleged that being taken off the route for leading students in prayer violates his constitutional rights to free speech and to practice his religion.

Nathaniel was reportedly fired from a job transporting students four years ago for the same reason, according to the newspaper. Although he hasn’t been fired by Quality Care Transportation, Nathaniel also hasn’t been assigned a new route.

Perhaps Nathaniel is trying to tell us that prayer is needed back in schools.