Colorado Clamps Down on Vans

Beginning July 1, the Colorado School Districts Self Insurance Pool (CSDSIP) will stop adding new or used 15-passenger vans to its insurance coverage. The CSDSIP’s board of directors approved the action at its February 8 meeting. In a memo to school district officials, including transportation directors, Cheryle Sullivan, executive director of CSDSIP, said the board’s decision was based on safety concerns, existing legal restrictions on sales of 15-passenger vans and continuing negative media coverage. Effective Jan. 1, 2007, the CSDSIP will stop insuring all 15-passenger vans used to transport students. “This will allow ample time [for districts] to phase these vans out of [their] fleets,” Sullivan said, adding that districts can still use the vans, just not for transporting students. Bruce Little, Colorado’s state pupil transportation director, said the CSDSIP insures about 130 of the 178 school districts in Colorado. “Since the General Assembly is not interested in phasing out the vans, the insurance company will,” Little added.