School Bus Safety and Driver Qualification

Several recent school bus wrecks have some parents wondering just how safe are their children when they send them off to school, and how qualified are the people sitting behind the wheel of the bus? Parents leave their child’s life in the hands of teachers and school officials everyday, but have you ever thought really how safe is your child when they board their bus to school or home? Mary Alexander knows first hand what it feels like when a child is involved in a wreck on a school bus. In February her 15-year-old daughters school bus was rear ended just south of Baskin. She now reflects on the sense of helplessness she felt and the unanswered questions, “what happened, how it happened, why didnt he see the bus, was the caution lights on" she asks. Her daughter still rides the same bus to school, but Alexander admits she no longer trusts the drivers. “They not careful, they not being careful. They just getting them on the bus and they just making a dollar." The Franklin Parish Superintendent, Lanny Johnson, says all drivers are certified with a commercial drivers license. That requires 30 hours in classroom training and what he calls a rigorous driving test. Johnson believes the children are safer riding a bus than riding in a car. “I hope our drivers understand how precious theyre cargo is and weve always got to be vigilant and diligent on doing the right things with those buses and we try to emphasize that to drivers at the beginning of the year." Sure these drivers are trained to drive these buses, but what do parents think the school district should do when a driver puts their childrens life at risk? Mary McMahon has three daughters that ride the bus in Franklin Parish. She says, “You never know what may be going on with that person, so it just might be a good idea to have a drug test that happens or random alcohol screening." She also thinks drivers should be required to take a refresher course after years on the job. Doctor Johnson says if a driver is determined to be operating a bus negligently they are reprimanded or he may recommend termination. (Copyright 2008, NBC 10/Fox 14 News, Written by Casey Ferrand)