The state legislature made a positive move forward this month by passing a bill that will make texting while driving a primary offense, giving police the ability to pull over drivers solely for texting. Those who violate the law would receive fines of $75 starting July 1 of this year.

“It covers all vehicles,” said State Director D. Leeds Pickering, adding that the state Department of Education had offered recommendations against cell phone use. “This is a law, which will be good for the state.”

Two cities, Cheyenne and Green River, had previously instituted overall cell phone bans with ordinances, according to Pickering. Legislation that would have banned overall cell phone use had failed to pass in the state for the last six years.

“This time they went after texting as a first step,” added Pickering.

According to the Insurance Insitute for Highway Safety that tracks state cell phone laws, seven states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah and Washington) the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands currently prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. All laws allow primary enforcement except for Washington. IIHS also said 17 states and the District of Columbia.prohibit school bus drivers from using cell phones when behind the wheel.

Meanwhile, texting while driving is banned in a total of 20 states, including the District of Columbia and Guam. But, according to IIHS, Texas is the only other state besides Wyoming with a law that specifically mentions bus drivers when a passenger 17 years of age or younger is on board.

The decision to write the letter was in response to state’s decision to cap property taxes and eliminate the state’s Circuit Breaker Replacement Grant. The new formula puts a cap at 1 percent per household statewide, restricting each school system to a cap per household unless it seeks a referendum vote for general fund or capital projects.

“Unfortunately, Franklin Township Schools attempted a referendum that did not pass and is faced with the decision to eliminate programs and services that our children receive,” said Bourke.

Transportation Director Justin Wilczynski added: “Dr. Bourke routinely meets with all department heads to gain insight, ask for ideas and seek innovative ideas that do not jeopardize the educational process for the children.”

The decision was then made to compose a letter to all the state’s legislators outlining the effect these decisions will have on every department in the Franklin Township Community School Corporation.

“Our expected levy for transportation and CPF in 2010 is $10,444,007. The loss of 84 percent of our available levy will have a devastating effect upon our ability to provide transportation for our students and families,” wrote Bourke.

For the current school year, Wilczynski said the transportation department took a number of steps to reduce spending and operate more fiscally without sacrificing student safety, knowing that his funding was being reduced. At the same time, he needed to balance special needs transportation that he had inherited from a consortium that was dissolved from four districts to allow each district to operate their own special needs operation. To do this, Wilczynski said the department reduced regular education routes by 15 to offset the cost of 12 new special education routes, implemented a fleet maintenance program that monitors employee hours and parts inventory and applied a partial cost to athletic trips. Wilczynski also did not replace vacant positions for a mechanic, router and assistant director of transportation.

When planning his budget for the upcoming school year, Wilczynski could see a drop in property tax supported funds by as much as $9.2 million.

“Our office has proposed for the 2010-2011 school year to transition from a two-tier routing system to a three-tier routing system. This allows us to cut our staffing by at least 18 employees and auction off 45 buses,” said Wilczynski. “If the school corporation does not seek another referendum or the state does not somehow alleviate the impact of the property tax caps, our district does face a risk of eliminating transportation for general education students for the 2011-12 school year.”

The long-running show, which first aired in February 1988, will celebrate 22 years and 1,000 episodes this Saturday evening. The episode will include a 15-minute interview with President Obama. During the interview, the President congratulates Walsh and AMW on reaching this milestone and promises to do everything he can to ensure that Congress fully funds The Adam Walsh Act.

This July, School Transportation News welcomes Walsh to the annual STN EXPO in Reno. Walsh will be addressing attendees on Monday, July 26, on how to keep children safe from sexual predators on their way to and from school.

Read more about Walsh and his thoughts on how to keep student safe in an interview with STN from May 2008.

A total of 11 states, one fewer than the report intially released, saw students involved in fatal accidents around the school bus in this year’s survey, an increase from only five states from last year reporting. Illinois originally reported to the Kansas State Department of Education's School Bus Safety Unit that the student death reported was later found to have been a pedestrian fatality involving a school bus and did not occur during loading or unloading.

Of the now 17 fatalities, 10 involved a school bus and the remaining seven were caused by a vehicle passing a school bus. Of those struck by the school bus itself, four were struck at the front of the bus and seven at the rear.

“We were just absolutely wiped away by the jump up from five [in 2007], and we attribute it to the driver of the bus not paying attention,” said Larry Bluthardt, director of the Kansas State Department of Education’s School Bus Safety Education Unit, which puts the report together every year. “We pound the importance of FMVSS 111 into our drivers’ heads so that the mirrors are properly adjusted.”

The heavy snowstorms have also been an issue, according to Bluthardt, with plows piling snow into people’s driveways, making it more difficult for the school bus drivers to stay close to the right side and still allow room for the students to board the bus.

The majority of the fatalities occurred during morning routes, with only three happening in the afternoon (there is no information for the time of day for one of the fatalities).

“We discussed whether daylight savings time is a plus or a minus while they're loading and unloading,” said Bluthardt.

The data is provided by both individual states and through research of local news reports. The Illinois student fatality that was removed from the survey involved a 9-year-old boy who was walking to school on Nov. 8, 2008 when he was hit by a school bus. Bluthardt said the student was not a school bus rider and that the incident occurred on a clear, sunny day under dry conditions.

Students from MDCPS’ vocational schools are taking 10 surplus school buses, removing the original seats and adding cafeteria-type seats for students, a desk for the teacher, as well as a blackboard, pencils, books, and so on, before they are sent to Haiti. The school buses will act as classrooms for all the displaced children from Haiti’s recent 7.0 earthquake, which leveled much of the country, including many of its schools.

“Any help that can be provided for these Haitian children who are in such unimaginable conditions, will be greatly appreciated,” wrote MDCPS Administrative Director Jerry Klein in a letter to transportation directors around the state.

The letter, which was forwarded by State Director and NASDPTS President Charlie Hood, asks other school districts in Florida to assist MDCPS in its effort. Any school district wishing to donate one or more surplus buses should immediately notify Klein’s office at (305) 234-0849 within the next two weeks with the manufacturer, year and configuration information of the school bus to be donated. All buses must be in good condition and running order. The buses must also have the seats removed and the property control transfer information must be provided prior to delivery.