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Newsby Thomas McMahonOctober 15, 2014

Toddler fatally struck by school bus

After dropping off students, a school bus in Danville, Virginia, struck a 20-month-old boy who had made his way in front of the bus while it was stopped.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonAugust 1, 2014

District aims to get parents on board with new bus code of conduct

Danville (Va.) Public Schools’ new conduct policy for its school bus riders seeks to better inform and involve parents. Michael Adkins, director of transportation service, explains how the policy was developed and how it was tested on four buses — which he says experienced “dramatic changes” in student behavior.

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Newsby StaffJuly 3, 2014

Three adults arrested in school bus theft

The adults, along with two juveniles, allegedly took the school activity bus from the Richlands (Va.) High School campus and drove it onto the athletic field of Southwest Virginia Community College. Officials are looking into how one of the adults apparently obtained the keys used to operate the bus.

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Articlesby Thomas McMahonApril 28, 2014

Districts are in the transportation business

School districts’ primary responsibility is to educate children. But that doesn’t mean it’s their only responsibility. Pupil transportation is still a part of the overall service that the district provides for the public.

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Districts are in the transportation business

A school board member at a Virginia district told the Washington Post, “We are not in the transportation business. We are in the education business.” That statement seems misguided and even unsettling. Yes, school districts’ primary responsibility is to educate children. But that doesn’t mean it’s their only responsibility. …

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Articlesby Kelly AguinaldoFebruary 25, 2014

Mutual respect strengthens driver-technician relations

Clear communication is also essential to a solid working relationship between these groups of employees. In-service or safety meetings provide an opportunity for growth in these areas by allowing drivers to learn about their buses and ask the techs questions. Drivers must also be proactive in reporting maintenance concerns.

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Newsby StaffFebruary 14, 2014

Virginia association offers scholarship in memory of Sonny Merryman

The founder of school bus dealership Sonny Merryman Inc., who passed away in December, provided hundreds of students in Virginia with scholarship assistance. The Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation offers a $2,500 scholarship that is available to seniors at public schools in Virginia who have a parent or grandparent currently or formerly employed in the public school pupil transportation field within the state.

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NewsJanuary 6, 2014

Virginia legislator calls for school bus seat belt study

Del. Scott Lingamfelter introduces a resolution that calls for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the effectiveness of requiring seat belts on school buses in Virginia. Among other tasks, the commission would have to consult and summarize the findings of past and current studies on the effectiveness of requiring seat belts on school buses and solicit input from each local school board on the effectiveness and cost of requiring the belts on every yellow bus.

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Newsby Thomas McMahonDecember 10, 2013

Virginia dealership founder Sonny Merryman passes

Merryman, who died on Saturday at age 89, launched his school bus business in 1967 when Thomas Built Buses was looking for a new dealer in Virginia. Today, Sonny Merryman Inc. has three locations and more than 125 employees in the state.

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Newsby StaffNovember 27, 2013

Power line falls on school bus during accident

Authorities in Newport News, Va., are continuing to investigate the crash, in which a 17-year-old driver struck a guide wire that was supporting a utility pole, which caused the wire to fall into the path of a school bus, and then the wire ultimately fell across the bus. Officers had the 31 students and the driver remain on the bus until the wire was removed.

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