School Safety in the News 3-27-13

3-year police project to boost school safety completed with help from $250000 ...
Bangor Daily News

House amends school-safety bill, 'radiator caps' it into new version of two ...
The Spokesman Review (blog)

School safety committee still looking at options in Cherokee County
al.com (blog)

District officials consider school safety concerns
Issaquah Press

Blumenthal Hears About School Security During Visit To Manchester High School
Hartford Courant

School safety proposal draws questions about cost
witf.org

Commission approves resolution supporting School Safety Act
Daily Home Online

Atlanta schools consider bus safety improvements
Atlanta Journal Constitution

Dads making schools safer, better
Log Cabin Democrat

Extra security in Hillsborough schools would cost $4 million
MyFox Tampa Bay

School Safety in the News 3-25-12

Chat about school safety with Va. Beach police chief
The Virginian-Pilot

Derby to hold public forum on school safety Monday night
New Haven Register

Is the proposed School Safety Act justified, and will it serve its alleged ...
al.com

Senate studies several school safety steps
Gainesville Sun

Wyo. kids speak up on school bus safety
Daily Herald

Dothan, AL Hostage Update 2-2-13

Alabama School Bus Hostage Showdown Enters Fourth Day
U.S. News & World Report

Negotiators talking to Alabama man holding child hostage through pipe
Fox News

Ala. Hostage Suspect Had Court Date...
ABC News

Negotiators Talking to Ala. Captor Through Pipe
ABC News

Hostage situation in Alabama
Sacramento Bee

Midland City Hostage Standoff Raises School Bus Safety Concerns
WNCF

Photos: Alabama child hostage standoff continues
San Jose Mercury News media center

Child held hostage for third day after bus shooting
KGMI

Neighbors of school bus hostage suspect say he was abusive ...

Negotiators talking to Ala. captor through pipe

Hostage drama drags on after Alabama school bus shooting

25 Students Injured in Tennessee School Bus Wreck

Johnson City, TN
A school spokeswoman says more than 25 students have been taken to hospitals in upper East Tennessee after a school bus carrying high schoolers flipped over.

Washington County schools spokeswoman Susan Kiernan says parents may have taken other students as well. She said all but five or six are expected to be released Thursday night.

One girl underwent surgery for head and neck injuries and was in critical condition. The driver was taken by ambulance with chest pain but Kiernan didn't know whether she would be admitted.

Kiernan says 63 students from David Crockett High School were on the bus Thursday afternoon.

Tennessee Highway Patrol spokeswoman Dalya Qualls says the crash happened when the wheels dropped off the side of the road and the driver overcorrected, about eight miles southwest of Jonesborough.

Safe Havens, Intl

Police Handcuffed Autistic Boy on Maryland School Bus

Laurel, MD
School officials are investigating after an 11-year-old autistic boy was handcuffed by police officers on a Maryland school bus.

The Baltimore Sun reports the boy allegedly bit several people Wednesday afternoon. He was being driven home from Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute, which educates students with severe learning disabilities.

Howard County police say the boy's bus driver and an aide called 911 and said they and two students had been bitten. They told police the boy had become aggressive after escaping from his seat harness. No one was treated for injuries and no one was arrested.

Child Abduction Digest 9-14-12

Orinda, CA

Police are stepping up patrol during the hours children walk to and from school after a local teen reported a man possibly tried to abduct her.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old girl was walking her dog near her Orinda home at about 7:45 p.m. when a man pulled up alongside her in a black, older model four-door sedan, Orinda police Sgt. Neil Rafanan said. He did not give a street name.

The man allegedly asked the girl where she was going. When she said she was walking home, he told her to get in his car, Rafanan said.

The girl refused and the man got out of the car and grabbed her, Rafanan said. The girl fought her way free and fled, he said. She was not harmed and did not initially report to police that she'd been grabbed.

New York

Police in Port Jervis and the Town of Newburgh are looking into two separate kidnapping attempts on young girls.

In the first, in Port Jervis, a man in a red minivan with New Jersey plates tried to lure a middle-school girl in as she walked home from school Thursday, according to the school district's website.
 
She was walking on Pennsylvania Avenue around 2:15 p.m. when the man stopped her and reportedly asked her several times if she wanted a ride.

The school district sent a letter home with students about the incident on Friday, and district officials urge parents to talk about it with their kids and review safety tips.

In the Town of Newburgh, near the Montgomery town line around 5 p.m. Friday, a man grabbed a 5-year-old girl from behind.

But her sister helped her get away from him.

Then, he took off in a vehicle, possibly a dark-colored pickup, headed east on Route 17K.

The man was described as thin, white and in his 40s with short dark hair, a white T-shirt and brown shorts.

St. Joseph, MO
Police are investigating what they think was an abduction attempt of a 10-year-old working safety patrol near an elementary school.

The child said someone approached the location he was patrolling just before 9 a.m. Tuesday near South 29th and Duncan streets and told him to get in their vehicle.

The child grabbed another student and went toward Parkway Elementary to tell a teacher.

Spencer, IA
Police in Spencer, Iowa, want parents to keep an eye on their kids after an attempted abduction from a local school.

It happened shortly before one o'clock when-- police say-- a man, driving a mini-van, pulled up to Lincoln Elementary during recess, rolled his window down, and asked two fifth grade students to, "come here."

The two students refused, and at the same time two staff members saw what was going on, brought the students inside and called police. The van then drove off.

Janesville, WI
A 12-year-old girl was grabbed by a man Tuesday morning as she walked on a Janesville street, but the man fled when a car drove past, Janesville police reported.

The incident on Elizabeth Street was reported at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, according to a police news release.

The girl told police she was grabbed from behind by the suspect.

Detroit, MI
Detroit police and Detroit Public Schools are investigating the reported sexual assault of a 13-year-old who said he was abducted from Wayne Elementary School on Detroit’s east side Wednesday afternoon.

The incident is being investigated by the department's sex crimes unit, according to a statement this morning. DPS Spokesman Steve Wasko said the district's police investigators are examining footage from surveillance cameras.

The student was found by a resident on Lakepointe about 2 p.m. The resident, Lawrence Snider, said the child was wearing only underwear and a shirt. His hands were taped behind his back, he said.

Boynton Beach, FL
The mother of a Palm Beach County kindergartner at Galaxy Elementary says a school bus mix-up left her child in a stranger's hands.

"I was nervous about the bus to begin with, and I guess I should have listened to myself," said Melissa Berthiaume of Boynton Beach.

She says she was waiting at the usual afternoon drop off point, at the intersection of Winfield Road and Laurence Road in Boynton Beach, and  when Aiden's bus pulled up, he wasn't on it.

"The bus driver comes over here, I say who I'm looking for, I say Aiden, he described him, he says,
Oh, lady over there just picked him up she said that she was his mother, " said Aiden's mom.

Berthiaume says that the bus driver went back, brought Aiden to her minutes later, saying Aiden was with a different woman who stopped Aiden from going with the supposed phony mom.

Fountain, CO
It was a close call for two children in Fountain Thursday, each who managed to narrowly escape a potential abduction in separate incidents.

In one case near Fountain Middle School off Highway 85/87, a 12-year-old was walking home from school when a strange truck began following him. When the boy heard the tires creeping up behind him, he grabbed his cell phone and texted his mom. The driver suddenly sped off.

In the second incident, around 4 p.m. on Fountain-Mesa Road near Mesa Ridge Parkway, the suspect actually stopped his car and told the child walking nearby to get in.

The child was able to run away.

Greenbelt, MD

The Greenbelt Police Department is investigating a possible abduction attempt, according to a press release, after a man with dreadlocks in a white truck allegedly tried to coax a 12-year old girl into his vehicle in Greenbelt.

Police have released a photo of the truck that the suspect may have been driving.

"The man a number of times repeatedly asked her to come over to the vehicle and she resisted," said Capt. Thomas Kemp, Greenbelt Police spokesman.

The girl was waiting for a ride to her middle school, but she was not a student at Greenbelt Middle School, said Kemp. It was about 8:30 a.m. Monday in the area of Springhill Drive and Edmonston Road.

 

 

2 School Buses Involved in Del. Crash

Middletown, DE
A crash in Delaware that started with a school bus rear-ending an SUV, set off two more crashes that ended with another SUV slamming into a house.

In all, two school buses and two SUVs were involved in the accidents early Monday just south of Middletown, Del. Three people, including a 5-year-old Christiana School District student, were hospitalized with minor injuries, according to Delaware State Police.

The incidents began around 7:25 a.m. at the intersection of Summit Bridge Road (State Route 71) and Noxontown Road. Police say Lisa Robinson, 42, of Middletown was stopped southbound on Route 71 in her 2005 Chrysler Pacifica waiting to turn left when she was rear-ended by a Appoquinimink School District bus driven by Jerome Altemus, 60, of Clayton, police said in a press release.

DelawareOnline.com

Crop Dusting Safety Concerns High in Kern County

Bakersfield, CA
Three times already this year, pesticide drift incidents have been reported in Kern County. Farmers say the chemicals are necessary, and they're doing a better job than ever of using them. But, others worry about safety.

In March, suspected pesticides drifted over a school bus carrying about 30 children. The elementary-age kids were part of the Rio Bravo-Greeley Union School District. Firefighters who responded, said a crop duster slightly oversprayed and hit the bus near Stockdale Highway and Interstate 5.

One child was taken to the doctor by parents, Frankhauser said. He said the no other children had symptoms, they were checked as a precaution.

Back to School - School Bus Safety Tips

New York, NY
My school district begins classes on August 1, with other districts in the area beginning within the next few weeks.  That means that those big, yellow school buses will be back on the road.

There is an excellent article at the link above that offers safety tips for parents and school personnel to teach our children, after offering up some startling statistics.  "According to a Department of Transportation study revised in March of 2011 (DOT HS 396), about 19 children die each year in school bus accidents -- either as riders or nearby pedestrians."  School buses are among the sturdiest, safest vehicles on the road, yet 19 children die each year.  So what can be done?

The article goes on to list some important safety tips:

- Orderly, Polite Behavior Required at All Times. Children must be reminded to never push or shove others while boarding, riding or exiting a vehicle. They should always wait for the driver's permission to either enter or leave a bus. Bullying behavior, verbally or physically, is strictly forbidden on buses -- just as it is in school;

- Regular Use of Handrails. Holding on to these while getting on or off a bus can prevent many falls;

- Exercise Great Care When Moving About in School Bus Danger Zones. The areas right behind a bus and on both sides of it (near the front) are especially dangerous. Tell your children about these areas and remind them that drivers often fail to see kids moving around in these areas;

- Use Crosswalks and Never Jaywalk. Drivers often panic when they see a large number of kids. Be sure to remind your children that it can be very risky to try and cross any street outside of the crosswalk area or at an intersection;

- Kids Should Carry Safely Packed Backpacks. Make sure your kids pack their backpacks safely and leave everything inside while riding the bus. It's just too easy to drop things or injure others by handling backpack items while the bus is moving;

- Make Sure All Bus Stops are in Safe Locations. If you question the safety of the location of a particular bus stop, take your concerns immediately to the school district and try to get the stop moved to a safer area. School bus accidents often occur when kids jump out of the vehicles in poorly marked locations;

- Take Extra Care When Crossing in Front of a School Bus. Kids should always wait until a bus driver clearly indicates that it's safe for them to cross in front of the bus before they start to do so. Some buses have automatic placards that provide this signal;

- Never Disembark to Pick Up an Item Dropped Out a Window. Tell your children that if they accidentally drop something out a window, they should tell the bus driver so they might be given a safe opportunity to retrieve the item. No one should ever throw any object out a window while playing on a bus;

- Cell Phones Should Not Be Used While Riding Unless an Accident Occurs. While it's okay if your kids call you after an accident, tell them to try and wait for instructions from the driver (or any other adult on board) before calling or trying to exit the vehicle;

- Check on the Driver's Personal Safety Record and Experience. Ask your school district if it can provide you with a copy of the most recent background check done on your child's school bus driver. Such checks should be routinely made by the district at least once or twice a year.

I am the Director of Transportation for my district.  My drivers will be teaching these points, and others, to the children.  It would be a great idea for parents to teach this at home as well.  I've had to visit children in the hospital after a school bus accident.  Fortunately, their injuries were not severe.  Nonetheless, it was a horrible feeling to look at a child who was under your care lying there hurt, even if it wasn't your fault.  It would even be even worse if it were my child.

Be on the lookout for those big yellow buses, and the little ones they carry.

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School Bus Driver Beaten into Coma Dies

Bronx, NY
A 65-year-old school bus driver beaten into a coma has died, his family confirms.
Juan Del Valle had been at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx since a minor traffic accident turned into a horrific beating.

Police say Del Valle was driving a school bus when he clipped a car's side mirror. Police say the car's owner, ex-con Joey Scott, beat the 65-year-old grandfather into a coma.

Surveillance video caught the vicious attack two weeks ago. Del Valle was inching his school bus down a narrow street in the Tremont section of the Bronx when he hit the mirror.

Moments later, Scott confronted DelValle and punched him twice in the face.

Del Valle collapsed, and his head hits the pavement. He never came out of the coma. His family made the decision to remove him from life support this week.

Del Valle worked for 8 years transporting the children of New York City safely to and from school.

A Bullied Bus Monitor

I was driving to the School Transportation Association of Indiana state conference in French Lick, IN when I heard of the story of an elderly bus monitor being bullied by students on the radio.  As soon as I had a few moments, I watched the video, which can be found HERE.  I watched for two minutes, and then had to stop, because my blood pressure spiked.

This video angers me because of the example of sheer callousness on the part of the students who were bullying the elderly bus monitor.  It angers me at the pain exhibited by this woman, being subjected to the verbal abuse being heaped upon her, and the obvious powerlessness she felt.  It angers me because the monitor didn't feel empowered to either handle it on her own, or to notify the driver for assistance. 

It would be easy to say this is endemic to society based on the few instances of this happening.  It would also be easy to wonder why there is concern for this, rather than anger when this happens to children.  I will address the second.

The elderly bus monitor represents authority.  Peers do not.  It is bad when peers bully each other, but it is a sign of a larger problem when people in positions of authority are bullied.  If these students feel they can treat authority figures with such blatant disrespect, what will prevent them from bullying their peers?

I would be interested in seeing how the district handles this.  Will they send the right message?

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How Old is Too Old?

WISH TV posted a story looking into the age of school bus drivers, and it subsequently appeared here.

I have the privilege and honor of being the Director of Transportation of my school corporation.  There are over 40 drivers in our fleet, and some of them are over 60 years old.   Having seen for myself the driving capabilities of my drivers, I can honestly say that considering their driving skills impaired because they are old would be a mistake, and a dis-service to some very talented, dedicated drivers.

Driving a school bus is not like driving a race car, or a fighter jet.  What is more important for driving a school bus is not hand-eye coordination, or speed of movement.  What is important is good judgement, and experience.  My drivers provide that, in spades.

Setting a maximum driving age for school bus drivers would be a great error.  Individual physical and mental capacities diminish at varying rates, and there is a dearth of qualified bus drivers as it is.  Instead, Directors of Transportation such as myself should be monitoring and assessing the skills of their drivers as individuals, documenting deficiencies, and removing drivers who can no longer safely convey children.

Blanket provisions, at this point, are not the way to go.

I would have no qualms at all having my youngest ride any bus in my fleet, and quite a few in many fleets.

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Should There Be Upper Age Limits for School Bus Drivers?

Indianapolis, IN
How old is too old? 24-Hour News 8 is looking into the issue of school bus safety, specifically, the age of drivers. The numbers may not be what you expect.

Indiana law requires school bus drivers to be at least 21 years old, but there is no maximum age limit. According to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, 28 percent of Hoosiers who hold valid school bus licenses are 60 or older, and 7 percent are older than 70.

The latest school bus fatality in central Indiana involved bus driver Thomas Spencer. The Marion County coroner ruled the 60-year-old had a heart attack at the time of the crash. He and a passenger, 5-year-old Donesty Smith, died in the crash.

Two months later, 73-year-old Jack Thomas lost control of his Carmel Clay School bus after he was bounced out of his seat. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The bus crashed into a homeowner's garage. Thomas survived and later resigned from his job.