Drivers reminded of school bus safety rules as new school year starts
Christopher Sciria
AECSD Public Information Specialist
We all know how frustrating it can be to be behind a school bus making frequent stops but as a new school year gets underway, it’s a good time to remind drivers to be aware to keep students and bus drivers safe.
The Auburn Enlarged City School District and its transportation provider, First Student, have plans they enact every school year.
Another part of the plan calls for Auburn Police to follow buses to ensure drivers aren’t passing them when they’re picking up or dropping off students.
“We try to implement different programs,” DiFabio said, “so people in the community are aware that the buses are out there and they're moving about and that they need to be careful. They (Auburn Police) will contact us usually about two weeks prior and they'll ask us if there's certain areas that we have concerns with where there's been a lot of people passing buses on the (flashing) reds (light) so then they will follow the bus around. And they typically catch a whole bunch of people, and issue a bunch of tickets.”
A bigger issue is at the junior and high schools when parents, who have dropped off their own children, are trying to get around stopped buses with flashing red lights.
“Unfortunately, but it tends to happen more,” DiFabio said. ”We do have a lot of parents that the buses will be there with their reds on unloading students, and the parents just don't care and they just fly right up, so that tends to be a large problem. That’s where First Student is most concerned because they're obviously concerned that a child is going to be hit, right? I witnessed it myself. When I've been stopped for a bus, I think some parents get confused. Some community members get confused when they see the yellow lights come on, so they think they have to stop, but then sometimes when the reds come on, they don't stop.”
The district did make some changes by combining some of its bus routes. Also, while some districts face school bus driver shortages, Auburn and First Student have a full roster for this year.
“We are actually in very good shape to start the school year,” DiFabio said. ”We are doing better than most districts around us and as of today, and this could change tomorrow, but as of today every route is covered. We don't have spares but we have each one covered right now.”
DiFabio stressed how important it is for the public to be patient and aware of school buses on their daily routes.
“They're making frequent stops all over,” she said. “I know it's frustrating to get stuck behind one but understand that they're trying to do their jobs and they're trying to get the kiddos to and from school as safely as humanly possible. Please be patient with our drivers a little slack there. You know we have a lot of new drivers. They're learning, so again, please be patient and understand that everything that's being done as far as school buses is for the safety of their children.”
First Student is also implementing a program built on a partnership with the district to help students with special needs. Called System of Support, according to First Student, it includes intensive training for location staff and bus teams with an understanding of the special education school system, bringing interventions from the classroom onto the bus, and how to positively influence student behavior and prevent escalation.
It’s with safety in mind that DiFabio stresses drivers to be patient, especially at the beginning of the school year when bus drivers may be learning new routes.
“For the first few weeks of school, those could vary by five minutes, 10 minutes,” DiFabio said. “So please be patient as all the drivers and aides get used to the routes. We're doing our very, very best to make everything run on time, but everything is brand new to them as well.”
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