Bus driver training manual keeps Oklahoma students on a safe route
EDUCATIONBUS DRIVER TRAINING MATERIALS ARE GETTING AN UPDATE

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BY DAWN MARKS
Published: January 3, 2009

The safest part of students’ school day is on a bus. The most dangerous part is when they go to and from the bus, a state education official said.


An Edmond school bus reflected in its mirror, with red lights flashing travels on Boulevard Wednesday afternoon as part of an effort to catch drivers who fail to stop for school buses when their lights are flashing. A police officer was aboard the bus and he would radio motorcycle officers at various locations the description of cars who illegally passed the bus. By David McDaniel.

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To ensure drivers are ready and students are safe, the bus driver training curriculum and manual are being updated, said Randy McLerran, director of transportation and transfers for the state Education Department.

The curriculum should be ready for the next school year, he said. The manual has been revised the past few years, but the last update was in 2002.

"Local districts rely on it heavily,” McLerran said. "Curriculum is a living, flexible document.”

McLerran said about 20 students in the nation are killed each year getting on and off buses, but Oklahoma has had no loading-zone fatalities since 2000.

How drivers train
Drivers must pass an Education Department-approved training course. They also must have four hours of professional development training each year. Districts use state curriculum for courses and some professional development, McLerran said.

McLerran said the new manual will have information about the latest technology, such as a new wireless inspection device. If drivers don’t scan all portions of buses, they won’t start, he said.

"We always look for anything new that will be beneficial,” McLerran said.


 

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I agree that getting on and off the bus is dangerous but there are some bus drivers out there that could use some driving lessons as well. It isn't enough to just cuss out the driver under your breath when you see bad driving. I admit I haven't seen it all that often but when I do I have taken down the bus numbers and reported them.
Big Daddy, Yukon - Jan 4, 2009 at 10:31 am

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