Nearly 600 students and counting rode to class last week in special needs buses that are once again being operated by the Clovis Unified School District in Fresno, Calif.

The Ontario School Bus Association sent a template of a media release to its members so they can customize local messages on back-to-school and school-bus safety.

The Joplin (Mo.) Area Catholic Schools last week received two conventional Type C school buses and one 16- to 20-passenger Type A bus in response to the deadly tornado that leveled the area in May.

NHTSA denied a petition filed by nearly dozen organizations and individuals that were seeking a federal rulemaking for the mandatory installation of three-point, lap/shoulder belts in all newly-manufactured large school buses. NHTSA said such a requirement could result in more student deaths.

Kathy Pickering, wife of former Wyoming State Director of Student Transportation D. Leeds Pickering, passed away on Aug. 18 after suffering a stroke earlier this month. She was 58.