NATIONAL COALITION OF SCHOOL BUS SAFETY NEWS UP TO DEC. 2003

Statewide school bus standards rejected
May 25, 2003

Unlike Indiana, some states set statewide standards for who can drive a school bus.

Hoosier lawmakers considered doing that in the late 1980s or early '90s but discarded the idea in favor of letting school districts decide whom to hire, said Pete Baxter, director of the Indiana Department of Education's Division of School Traffic Safety. The office certifies school bus drivers.

Local control is a "strong and persuasive theme in school government in this state," Baxter said.

Indiana is not alone in giving hiring power to schools. Several states, including Wyoming, Kentucky, Michigan and New Mexico, do the same.

While other states also let school districts check driving records, many set statewide rules that prohibit certain applicants from driving a school bus.

West Virginia can deny driver certification if there is "clear and convincing evidence or documentation of frequent violations of traffic laws."

In Alaska, anyone with a felony conviction of possessing a controlled substance dating back 20 years is prohibited from driving a school bus.

In Ohio, a driver can have no more than eight penalty points and no six-point convictions in the past 2 years to remain licensed.

Texas also sets requirements based on points.

Kansas applicants with convictions for hit-and-run, driving under the influence or reckless driving are excluded.

In Illinois, driving histories are reviewed by school districts following state guidelines.

"The driver's driving history has to be clear of any major traffic offenses within three years immediately prior to applying for the school bus driver permit," said Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Marilyn Leveque.

Arizona's Department of Public Safety reviews a driver's 10-year record for serious offenses and patterns. Otherwise, applicants cannot have accumulated eight or more driving points.

Because of the way the system is set up in Arizona, it is hard for schools to obtain driver records, said Vicki Barnett, student transportation supervisor for the state.

But Barnett believes statewide standards eliminate applicants who might slip through the cracks otherwise. Her department, she said, might see driving patterns school officials could choose to ignore, especially faced with a driver shortage.

"Probably we would take a more impartial view of it because we're not the ones with the shortage of drivers," she said. "So, I think we can look at it a little more objectively."

Baxter said he would expect a tough fight from Indiana schools if the state tried to take power away from them by setting standards. A change likely would occur only if an incident prompts the move, he added.

"What legislator will stand up and make a change?" Baxter asked. "It's when something happens in their district."

State Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven, said she has confidence in school bus drivers and leans toward letting school districts decide whom to hire. In small districts, she said, officials know the background of people before hiring them. Only if school districts are not doing their jobs would a change be needed, she said.

"The more laws we make, it's not always good," said Pond, a retired teacher and ranking minority member of the House education committee. "If there's a local school board that's not monitoring this, then we probably would need to come to a statewide standard."

By Ron Shawgo
The Journal Gazette

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