Kansas to Consider School Bus Regulation Changes

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas State Board of Education is considering a variety of changes as part of an effort to update the state's school bus regulations, The Wichita Eagle reports.

One proposed regulation would place a lifetime ban on working as a school bus driver for a person convicted of a crime involving a child, according to the newspaper. Current regulations related to hiring school bus drivers state that a person who has committed a crime involving a child doesn’t have to report it to the hiring agency if the conviction occurred more than 10 years ago.

Another potential new regulation would place seat belt cutters on school buses so drivers could help themselves or students in the event of an accident, according to The Wichita Eagle. Keith Dreiling, the state director of pupil transportation, told the newspaper that the change in regulations on seat belt cutters is being considered to get the state up to date with standard practices across the U.S., and that 75% of Kansas school buses already have seat belt cutters on board.

Additionally, a provision would allow school districts to increase the life spans of their buses from 20 to 25 years, according to The Wichita Eagle. Dreiling said that the provision is being added to comply with a law passed by the state Legislature.

Dreiling told the newspaper that the school bus safety regulations haven’t been updated since 1993.

To read the full story, go here.