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How are the
drivers trained? Do you run background checks?
Durham School Services has the most extensive background and screening
process in the school bus driving industry! Each driver must have a
commercial driver license (CDL) with the appropriate endorsements. We
require all personnel to submit for pre-employment Drug and Alcohol
testing, physicals and take a written "ESI" safety test. FBI
fingerprinting, background, criminal history and motor vehicle records are
checked. We also perform analysis on driving record blemishes for patterns.
All of this it to ensure we can invite the safest drivers to drive our
precious cargo!
Each driver must undergo eight hours of Durham School Services classroom
safety training and eight hours of behind the wheel skills training. There
are written and behind-the-wheel examinations. Each driver must attend
twenty one hours of state mandated classroom training through the Michigan
Department of Education and Oakland Schools. Every second year all of our
drivers must attend six hours of continuing education classes and pass a written
test at the these classes. Durham School Services performs annual
evaluations of every driver to ensure their knowledge and skills continue
to meet the high standards we have set for our team members.
Each year 50% of our drivers must submit to random drug testing and 25%
must submit to random alcohol testing. Driver licenses are checked
annually. By law, no bus driver can drive a school bus with more that six
points on their license. Durham School Services has set a higher standard
by mandating that any driver with three or more points will be ineligible
for employment with our company.
Most drivers are trained by a state trained school bus driver trainer for
between one and three weeks. There is classroom work and behind-the-wheel
driving for these "beginning" school bus drivers. On the average
there is forty to sixty hours of training with our Durham School Bus Driver
Trainer's. After the behind-the-wheel examination, the General Manager
assign's a mentor to our new bus drivers who will help them learn the area,
culture, systems, cliental, and hone their student management techniques.
This process is followed to ensure all drivers can, and will, live up to
our mission: "Getting kids to school safe, on time and ready to
learn....everyday"!
For additional information on our hiring and screening process please visit
our Durham School Services Web Site,http://www.durhamschoolservised.com/Safety/SafetyEducation/tabid/75/default.aspx
Why aren't there
seat belts on the school bus?
There is a passive restraint system on the school buses. Since 1977 the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards have increasingly stringent
concerning school bus construction. The seat backs are higher; there is
more padding; the padding is thicker; the seats are closer together; the
steel ribs are of heavier gauge metal which acts as a "roll bar"
if you will; and much more. If there is a front or rear end collision, the
student would move into the back of the seat in front of them and then
"bounce" back in their own seat. This reduces injuries to the
student as it would not be as severe as if the child was wearing a seat
belt.
With a seat belt, the child is strapped in at the pelvic area. Upon impact
the child's upper body would move in to the back of the seat in front of him;
but the lower body would stay in position. The child's head and neck would
hit the seat first and then bounce back in to his own seat. That would
cause major head and neck and internal injuries... or worse.
As long as your child is sitting properly in the bus seat, "bottom to
bottom and back to back", and no body parts in the aisle way, your
child will have a safe and enjoyable ride on our school buses. In
catastrophic school bus accidents with trains, gravel haulers or other vary
large vehicles; no type of seat restraint system would work for any type of
vehicle.
We would invite you to visit some of the other website links (link to new
page with links) to learn more about the seat belt issue.
The bus passes my
house, why can't you stop and pick up my child?
We do pass most homes in the district. There are approximately 9,000 public
school students. Each bus stop takes at least 30 seconds; we would not be
able to perform busing service on schedule, if we were to operate in this
manner. Hence the reason for group stops.
Where is my bus?
It's late!
On a typical day all buses leave the bus garage at the same time each day.
Our motto is "On Time...Every Time". Inclement weather, snowy,
icy or wet roads or construction and/or detours can all create heavy
traffic conditions, and affect the timing of our buses arriving at stops.
There are times in the afternoon when the principals will ask us to wait
for a child who has gone back to the school to get a book or homework.
There may be a behavior management situation on the bus that requires the
driver to speak with the principal before leaving the school. These
conditions can cause the bus to be a few minutes off schedule.
Additionally, there are occasions when the bus will have a mechanical
problem found during the required "pre-trip check list" or a
breakdown. This too, can cause the driver to be late in picking up students
as they will have to either switch buses and perform another "pre-trip
inspection" or have a bus brought to the breakdown location. It would
not be possible to contact every parent of the students on that route in
time to relay this information. We ask that parents utilize our website (www.birmingham.k12.mi.us) and, or Call
the Customer Service Center hot line at 203-203-3960. Of course, you can
contact our office at 248-203-3940 to speak with a transportation
representative.
If it is necessary that you leave your home before the bus arrives, please
discuss with your child "plans of action" so they will know what
to do if a problem occurs at the bus stop.
My child's friend
wants to ride the bus home with her.
Most of our buses are at or near capacity and allowing additional students
to ride the bus can create overcrowded conditions. If it is absolutely
necessary that a classmate must come home with your child, that parent
should send a note with the child and have the principal sign the note to
authorize the ride. The driver should be given the note when the children
board the bus.
If the children are scheduled to ride the same bus, then the parent should
send a note stating that you have allowed your child to get off the bus
with ______________ at their bus stop. This note must be given to the bus
driver.
My child left his
homework, or his jacket, on the bus. How do I get it back?
The driver checks his/her bus at the end of the day. Any items left on the
bus that the driver finds are usually brought to the front of the bus for
the child to reclaim on the next bus run. Band instruments, wallets or
glasses are usually brought in to the office at the end of the day for safe
keeping. We then return them to the driver on the following morning so the
owner can claim these valuables.
We have no lost and found box in our office. Items of clothing that are
left on the buses for greater lengths of time are sent to the appropriate
school. Labeled clothing is returned to the student.
Why can't my child
bring his large band instrument onto the bus?
It is now a Michigan State law that all instruments must be held by the
student. If it cannot fit on the students lap, we cannot transport it.
When MUST
motorists STOP for the school bus?
In preparation for a school bus stop, the bus driver will activate YELLOW
FLASHING LIGHTS approximately 200 feet prior to the stop. This is the
indicator to other motorists to slow down and proceed with caution because
there is a school bus stop ahead. When the bus comes to a complete stop at
the bus stop, and opens the door, the RED FLASHING LIGHTS are activated.
When you see RED FLASHING lights and the extended "STOP" arm on a
school bus, you MUST stop! This is the signal that the bus has stopped to
pick up or to drop off students. Motorists must wait until the red flashing
lights are turned off before they can resume driving.
The exception to this rule is a roadway which is separated by a median;
then only the traffic following the bus MUST stop. Examples would be
Telegraph Road or Woodward Avenue.
If my child is
absent from school, do I need to notify transportation?
If your child is transported by a special needs bus, or is the only child
assigned at a bus stop, the notification would be appreciated.
updated 10-06-08 @ 10:31am
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