Duval County, Safe-T-Gard and NSTA

Dozens of school bus drivers for the Duval County (Fla.) School District may lose their jobs this month as a result of a new CDL point system that cracks down on license violations. Implemented by the school board in response to its review of all 1,100 district drivers’ records, the Safe Driver Points System allows school bus drivers to incur a maximum of 10 points against their license in five years. This includes points earned in their private vehicles. The system affects drivers at the four different school bus contracting companies that service the district. Safe-T-Gards installed Three New Jersey schools will receive Safe-T-Gard systems from the Majestic Companies of Bakersfield, Calif., as part of a 90-day test program funded by the New Jersey Office of Highway Traffic Safety. The Safe-T-Gard is a polyurethane shield that goes in front of the right, rear school bus tire to act as a “people deflector.” The purpose of the deflectors, currently in use in many transit buses, is to sweep any obstruction (person or object) away from the tire. NSTA chooses Texas The mid-winter meeting of the National School Transportation Association has been relocated from Costa Rica to San Antonio because of lingering concerns about terrorism. The meeting is scheduled Jan. 27-30. For more information, contact the NSTA office at (703) 684-3200 or visit the Website at www.schooltrans.com.