SCHOOL SECURITY: Bus Driver/Bus Security Controls - Part 2 of 2

Develop and institute crisis codes that your bus drivers can use to alert dispatch that they may be in trouble or need immediate assistance.

 Ask your bus drivers to inspect their buses for foreign objects both inside and outside anytime it has been left unattended. This could entail an athletic event at another school district, a trip to the museum, etc…

 Ensure that each of your school’s bus pick-up and drop off areas do not have other vehicular traffic present. Complex traffic patterns, where two different types of transportation (bus/car, bus/child, car/child) cross each other’s travel path, are the ‘hot spots’ where a serious accident could occur. The chance of a child darting out from behind a stopped bus in to the path of another vehicle is very real. The best control is to maintain your bus pick-up and drop off areas for bus traffic and nothing else.

 Assess each of your school bus routes to identify any potential trouble spots. This may include bad neighborhoods, excessive shrubbery at drop off/pick up areas, poorly lit areas, dead end roads, etc…

If a bus incident/accident were to occur, maintain a single person to communicate pertinent information to other your other schools, parents, law enforcement and the media.

 Develop and maintain a strict security control system for all bus keys.

 Ensure that all of your buses are equipped with two-way communication.

 Consider installing a “trouble indicator” light on each bus that drivers can activate to alert law enforcement of possible problems on the bus.

 Instruct drivers to never leave their bus running when it is unattended.  Tell them to turn off the engine and take the keys with them.

 Train school bus drivers how to address on-bus conflicts on the bus such as a fight between students. Bus drivers should also be trained on what to do when confronting angry parents, strangers, trespassers and other threats of violence.

 Ensure bus drivers maintain ‘9-1-1’ on their cell phone speed dial.

IF IT'S PREDICTABLE, IT'S PREVENTABLE: MORE THAN 2,000 WAYS TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY IN YOUR SCHOOL