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Newsby StaffJuly 16, 2014

New contract brings 65 propane buses to Minnesota district

Under the five-year, $4 million contract with St. Paul Public Schools, Student Transportation of America will provide new propane-powered vehicles and a refurbished facility. The contract award also marks the expansion of the company's operations in Minnesota.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJune 30, 2014

School bus driver award brings crowd to tears

Don Puetz was among five recipients of the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association’s 2014 Transportation Specialist Awards. His dedication to his students, even amid personal sorrow — he lost both his wife and his daughter in the past year — made for an emotional ceremony.

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Newsby StaffApril 4, 2014

Driver, nurse save 4 special-needs students from bus fire

Alfred “Al” Lewis pulls the bus over, opens the passenger door and window to let the smoke out, sprays the fire extinguisher into the vents, and gathers the students in wheelchairs and carries them outside to safety. Meanwhile, the nurse helps the other two students out of the rear door.

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Newsby StaffApril 1, 2014

Minnesota bus driver strives to be a mentor to students

Seventy-four-year-old Paul Aasen began working at Saints Bus Services in 2001, and he says he plans to drive for as long as he’s physically able to. He says he enjoys talking to the students he transports, and in addition to being a mentor, his goal is to encourage them to be respectful.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonMarch 26, 2014

Update: District switches to 3-tier transportation

The board at Minnesota’s South Washington County Schools approves a plan to adjust bell times from four to three tiers, which will go into effect for the 2014-15 school year. However, the board decides against shortening walking distances to the levels at which they had been up until last school year.

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NewsMarch 7, 2014

Bill would require bus drivers to perform child checks

The Minnesota legislation would also establish reporting requirements: failure to perform a post-trip child check would need to be reported to the director of pupil transportation within 72 hours, and if a bus driver is convicted of not performing the required child-check procedure, the school bus driver endorsement on the person’s license would be canceled for one year. Shelly Jonas of the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association weighs in on the effectiveness of the proposed changes.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonMarch 5, 2014

District may switch to 3 tiers, shorten walking distances

In an effort to prevent late buses and enhance transportation service, Minnesota’s South Washington County Schools is proposing to change from a four-tier bell time schedule to three tiers. Another change under consideration would be to reduce walking distances from 1.5 miles to 1 mile for middle school students and from 2 to 1.5 miles for high school students.

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Newsby StaffFebruary 27, 2014

Heavy snow forces closure of bus garage

Forest Lake Area Schools officials cite structural concerns since the garage, a pole barn that was built in 1961, has broken beams. It was being used to house 25 of the district’s vehicles and is expected to be torn down.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonJanuary 14, 2014

Minnesota association launches live stream of meetings

Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation members who can't make it to Wednesday's committee meetings in person will have another option: tuning in online. A live stream will be available on YouTube, even allowing web viewers to submit questions.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonNovember 13, 2013

Video teaches public to 'Stop and Stay Stopped' for buses

The Minnesota School Bus Operators Association video, newly available on DVD, outlines common mistakes that motorists make when driving around school buses. Shelly Jonas, executive administrator for the association, tells SBF about the program and how it can be used.

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