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EISD says kids safe on buses
, Community Editor
08-29-2008
It is one of a parent’s worst nightmares – a child not getting off the school bus at the designated stop and being lost in the shuffle.
With recent news of an elementary school child in Red Oak being let off the bus two miles from her house, Ennis ISD officials say parents don’t have to worry about something like that happening here.
“Our drivers are responsible and check the bus before they park it for the night,” said Dr. Richard Skuza, deputy superintendent for EISD. “We have a program in place where drivers have to ‘walk the bus’ at the end of the day that puts an end to that sort of incident happening here. We haven’t had an incident in Ennis because of that policy.”
He also said that because the district places such a high priority on getting students to and from school safely, the drivers have a lot of training.
John Doslich, director of operations in the maintenance department echoed Skuza’s sentiments about the training the drivers receive before being allowed to drive for the district.
“Candidates must pass the Region 10 training, which is about a week long before they can even be a driver,” he said. “They must also take a follow-up refresher course every year, which is a two-day class.”
The district follows up that training with mandatory annual physicals even though that isn’t required by the state and also provides the drivers with monthly safety classes taught by Ennis ISD Police Chief Ross Jones.
“Chief Jones holds classes once a month to go over safety concerns and issues as well as teaches precautionary measures,” Doslich said. “The classes are mandatory and the drivers are kept up to date on the latest news and techniques that could assist them in difficult situations.”
With technology upgraded almost daily, Doslich says he hopes to continue to upgrade the entire district on safety issues by means of instructional videos so everyone is on the same page when it comes to safety.
“With the ever changing issues that could cause a problem, it is important for everyone in the district to be on the same page when it comes to safety issues such as using cell phones or how the wind factor plays a part in how the bus moves, etc.”
However, Doslich credits the tenure of the district’s drivers for the quality of care the student’s receive being transported to and from class.
“In the end we are blessed with an excellent bus fleet of veteran drivers that do an excellent job,” he said.
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