Students Left Behind a Growing
National Epidemic
(February 2005)

By Julie Metea
Special to School Transportation News

On a mild winter day in mid-December, four-year-old Keira Bauc woke up alone on a school bus parked outside a school in Channahon, Ill. She waited in fear for two-and-a-half hours before being discovered unharmed and relatively warm.

"She tried to open the doors to get out but couldn't. Imagine what more could have happened if she did." said her mother Samantha Bauc, a firefighter and community volunteer. "She told me she tried not to cry and then apologized for being left on the bus. It's not her fault; the adults made the mistakes."

As in similar cases, the mistake triggered a counterproductive pattern: traumatized student, outraged parents, media coverage, reactive school district, bus driver discipline (termination and child endangerment charges, in this case), and litigation.

Channahon School Superintendent Lynn Krizic indicated this was the school's first incident, but it was another notch on the national tally of students left behind on school buses.

Trackless and Counting

A search for a comprehensive incident rate turns up assorted data and statistics. Neither federal nor state governments consistently document the number of students left on buses.

However, NHTSA spokeswoman Susan Kirinich acknowledges that it's a growing issue among pre-school and kindergarten routes. Among other causes, longer rides and higher seat backs, which could block views of students, may be contributing factors, she added.

Security technology companies and the media generate non-empirical data, and their rates range from several thousands to a few dozen incidents annually. Industry watchers debate the incident rates. Complicating matters are the varying definitions, ranging from a missed drop off point to a child forgotten in a locked bus for hours.

"The numbers could be higher, because cases go unreported. That scares a lot of people," said Bob Moran, who works closely with the issue through Child Check-Mate Systems of Navan, Ontario. The company designs and markets end-route reminder systems to assist drivers.

Through information based on sales, media tracking and industry conversations, Moran estimates nearly 5,000 students annually in the U.S. and Canada are left on school buses. Many cases involve special needs students. Over eight years, he's heard of eight related deaths.

A U.S. competitor, Robotics Technologies, Inc. (RTI), believes there could be as many as one incident per school district per year in the U.S. "Since we developed our products, we've become more aware of the issue," said RTI President Allan Roberts.

And the media keeps track of repeat offenses. The Journal News in New York tracks one of the higher local incident counts. In December, a driver left a six-year-old boy in a parked bus for a half-hour, making it the eighth reported incident in Westchester in five years.

State of Reactions

"This problem needs to be uniformly defined, investigated and reported," said Dr. Linda Bluth, a special needs transportation consultant based in Maryland. "It needs to be looked at systematically to find out where and why it keeps happening. Who is going to take the first step?"

Some state lawmakers are taking action to prevent any child from being left on a school bus. "It's shocking. I couldn't believe this happens so much," said Illinois State Senator Christine Radogno, who introduced legislation last year in response to a four-year-old special needs student who fell asleep and was left behind on a bus in her district.

The defeated bill (SB2334) would have required all Illinois school buses to have a post-trip inspection system to alert drivers to check for unaccounted passengers. "There's huge resistance to pass mandates that aren't funded," said Radogno, who indicated she may re-introduce an amended bill in 2005.

CRS Electronics currently offers a child reminder product that meets the proposed Illinois specifications. The company said it also helped developed specs for mandates requiring child check reminder software passed in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

In March 2000, New York legislators passed a set of school bus safety bills. It excluded an original provision requiring drivers to examine the entire bus at the end of each route and to affix a "no one on board" sign in the back window.

"On the downside, it happens where the driver will drive around and will leave that flag or sign in the back of the bus, anyway," said CSR President Scott Rieseboch, adding that television news crews have documented buses in operation with the sign still hanging in the window. "It's no where near as bullet proof as alarms are."

NAPT indicates that there are approximately 9 billion separate student rides per year in the U.S. "It's one of the safest ways to travel. The issue is not pervasive, but we take it seriously. Zero tolerance," said Executive Director Michael Martin. Zero tolerance, he said, requires mandatory dismissal for careless incidents that endanger the life of a student.

Preventing Incidents

Whether in a preventive or reactive mode, school districts vary in their safety measures, which include driver training, background checks, placards, electronic reminder systems and zero tolerance. Many believe not one, but a combination of methods is the best approach.

"Training, training, training, and consistently enforced consequences for drivers who do this," said Peggy Burns, staff counsel, Adams Twelve Five Star Schools - Thornton, Colorado.

A zero tolerance policy - with mandatory dismissal - is sometimes debated as an effective solution. "It doesn't work. Drivers don't strive to make mistakes," said Charles Hott, safety engineer, NHTSA.

At least four companies - Child Check-Mate Systems, CRS Electronics, Doran Manufacturing, and RTI - manufacture and sell the electronic reminders. Most systems sound an alarm if the driver does not deactivate the system after a mandatory check. At least one company is developing sensory technology that can detect students and operate independently of the driver.

"It's not a police system or a gimmick to trap drivers," said Moran of his safety products. "We work within their routines. We allow them to focus on the kids."

Another from CSR gives bus drivers and mechanics a 10-minute window to turn on the ignition, load passengers or equipment and operate the vehicle before the reminder software arms. It also allows school districts to test the system by opening and closing the double doors twice. A horn honk indicates the system is working. Add to maintenance checklist to make sure it is OK.

"It hits a sweet spot where no there is no longer motivation for mechanics to disarm," Rieseboch said.

Driving Issues

While bus contractors and school districts invest money and time into driver awareness, those at the wheel end up accountable for student safety, traffic rules and vehicle maintenance. An end-route check for students left on the bus is just one item on a long list of duties.

"Some routes are more pressure - more schools, students and stops," said Tom Wuest, trainer and bus driver for the Indian Hill Transportation Department in Cincinnati. "Some rush. They go through quickly. Go through the motions and not really look. You must focus."

Wuest, a 29-year veteran, said he knows of only one incident of student abandonment in his district, which operates its own 34-bus fleet that transports 3,000 students. That driver was reprimanded, not dismissed.

Drivers for Laidlaw Education Services, the largest carrier in the U.S., go through 50 to 60 hours of total training, with a portion set aside for end-route inspections. Buses are equipped with reminder systems. The company also dictates a zero tolerance policy for students left on buses.

"We hate to lose drivers. They are important to us," said Drew Jones, vice president of Safety. "But it's 100 percent avoidable and within their control."

Jay Chancellor, who has been driving 18 years for Laidlaw in Pittsburgh, agrees that there's no excuse for leaving students behind.

"It takes only 25 to 30 seconds to check. No more than a minute," said Chancellor. "I try to do my job 100 percent. Safety comes first."

Ryan Gray, STN Senior Editor, contributed to this report.

Source: Reprinted from School Transportation News, February, 2005.
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