House Bill 5033 would require three-point lap/shoulder belts on all school buses manufactured in 2012 and beyond. If passed, the state Department of Motor Vehicles could suspend the registration of any school bus that was not equipped with the proper restraints. In the last 20 years, almost two dozen similar bills have never made it out of committee, giving HB 5033 some hope.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Antonio Guerrera after a 16-year-old boy, Vikas Parikh, died on his way to a weekend science competition after the school bus overturned. Parikh's parents and sister testified before lawmakers last month, stressing that seat belts would have saved Parikh's life.

Currently, only six states have passed laws requiring seat belts on school buses, and only two of the laws are related to the lap/shoulder restraints.

The trade show during the National Conference on Transporting Students with Disabilities and Preschoolers was barely two hours old, and Betsy Shulthess was already counting down the days until she will return next year.

From left, Chris Thomas of American Logistics Company and Betty Shulthess of St. Charles, Ill., who won a conference scholarship provided by the contracted services provider.

Shulthess, the transportation safety coordinator at St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 in the suburbs of Chicago, said she found extremely valuable workshops on how school districts can partner with businesses on providing transportation services; employ conflict resolution techniques for students, parents and employees alike; and improve working relationships with district administrators. She also said she obtained ideas on how to bring innovation to her school district and to encourage new thought processes to remain on the cutting edge as well as how to better multitask and to re-evaluate district job descriptions.

This, she said, entails "refocusing constantly on where we need to go and what we need to do."

Shulthess learned about the American Logistics scholarship at the 2009 show in Indianapolis, when Chris Thomas, the company's business development manager presented attendees with information on the scholarship and introduced that year's winner, Robin Parks, transportation specialist at Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES in Ithaca, N.Y. Shulthess' regular work schedule and district budget only allowed her to attend the conference over the weekend, and Thomas' talk to the attendees presented to her an opportunity for 2010.

"I turned to my friend and said, 'You know what? Next year I'm going to be [in Orlando],'" she said. "I realized we had a lot of work to do [at St. Charles], and I was really disappointed I couldn't stay for the whole conference.

When she returned to Illinois, she filled out her application. The rest is history. American Logistic's Thomas contacted Shulthess to inform her she won full conference registration this year as well as round-trip airfare, her hotel stay, transportation to and from the airport, meals, and spending cash. She will also return to the conference in 2011 under the second part of her scholarship, next time as a guest of EduproGroup. Next year's show is scheduled for March 11 through 16 in Kansas City.

Shulthess coordinates the safety and security of the district’s 14,650 school bus riders and 140 bus drivers and assistants. She is responsible for monitoring special education safety requirements for each of the special education buses and supervises the bus evacuation drills for the all of the 17 schools in the district. The disabilities conference, she said, provides the training she needs, not only for herself but to bring back to St. Charles.

"We needed to get our ducks in a row; our district is looking for leaders," she added.

Recalls were announced concerning a noncompliance issue with 2007 model-year U.S. Bus models STHF5, STH5, and Universe school buses manufactured between November 1, 2006, and April 1, 2007. The buses are equipped with Freedman Seating Company 33 1/2-inch school bus barriers.

According to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): "In the event of a crash, a passenger's knee may come in contact with the rear surface of the non-compliant restraining barriers, which could result in personal injury to the occupant."

The second recall, which covers the same noncompliance issue, covers certain Trans Tech Rondak 4F+9, Q86-5, and STH5 school buses manufactured between February 1, 2008, and June 1, 2009.

TCI said it will notify owners beginning on or about March 31, 2010, and will repair the buses free of charge.

Editor's note: Read an article from last fall on the dispute between TCI and NHTSA to repair defective U.S. Bus models.

"The passing of Senate Bill 2 provided the restoration of every dollar to the state supported pupil transportation budget," wrote Murrell Martin, the pupil transportation specialist at the Utah State Office of Education, in an email to school district transportation personnel. "Many individuals and groups on all levels are to be credited with being part of sending clear messages about the overall value of school bus transportation to the state of Utah."

Originally, Sen. Chris Buttars proposed cutting high school busing outside of densely-populated areas and phasing out 12th grade in favor of an accelerated graduation program, all to save some $300 million from the state education budget. Opponents argued that eliminating high school busing in rural areas would in many cases remove the only way many students had to get to and from school. For those students who could afford to drive themselves, opponents also feared that school parking lots would not be large enough to accommodate the extra vehicles.

Martin said that lobbying efforts spearheaded by transportation stakeholders were key to explaining the benefits of school bus transportation, including the safety element as well as reducing traffic congestion and pollution and providing operations cost savings over other modes.

"With an increased number of students entering the school system in the fall of this year, there will be a need for developing increased efficiencies in order to continue to provide the same excellent services for an increased number of students on the same amount of state funding," Murrell added. "By identifying the best practices in each category of urban and rural school districts, together we can increase our efficiency overall while maintaining the same high level of safety and service."

The bill also requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules for transporting charter school students but does not make charter schools eligible to receive state transportation funds. However, charter schools may provide transportation through an agreement with a local school board, a private contrator or with parents.

“I’ve read every court case involving school transportation, and I can’t remember the last time I read a case where the district provided transportation to a ‘choice school’ unless it involved a student with disabilities. School districts are cutting routes and expanding walk distances all across the nation,” says Burns, a school lawyer since 1988 who shifted her focus to student transportation in 1995.

“Because we’re trying too hard across the country to keep budget cuts out of the classroom, very often transportation is one of the primary programs to fall on the chopping block,” Burns says. “I think we’re guessing on what kind of impact this will have on school attendance. I’m very concerned about this.”

In states where laws do support school choice, Burns explains, whether districts provide transportation to these schools is a matter of discretion, not a mandate, and, in most cases, they do not. Providing transportation to schools outside of the home zone is typically a case of policy, not law.

“I believe it is very difficult to talk about busing and desegregation on one hand and then talk about busing and segregation, on the other,” Burns adds. “There’s nothing to say that a school district can’t dedicate disproportionate funds to a lower performing school if needed. There are ways to improve schools other than by busing kids into them.”

Editor's note: Read more on this issue in the April 2010 edition of School Transportation News magazine.