The legislation would permit the use of the recordings on school buses, but school boards would have to vote on policies outlining the audiotaping rules, and parents would have to be notified. The bill had been approved by the state Senate in June, and it has since been amended to also allow police to use audio-equipped cameras anywhere except in a residence without prior court approval.
Read More →School districts and bus companies would be permitted to equip their buses with the technology to capture illegal bus passers under House Bill 1580. Rep. Seth Grove, who introduced the legislation, says utilizing the cameras “can provide increased accountability of drivers and remove the burden from school bus drivers to bear witness to all facets of the violations when their primary goal is to ensure the safe transportation of the children in their charge.”
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A group of volunteers, including many people in the pupil transportation industry, planned and participated in the event, in which the volunteers provided tours of school buses and distributed flyers on yellow bus laws and other safety materials prior to a Pirates baseball game. Roger Botti of North Allegheny School District discusses with SBF the planning and outcome of the event, which was a year in the making.
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The floor features retractable straps for securing a wheelchair in a bus. The supervisor of transportation for Pennsylvania’s Upper Merion Area School District conceived the idea, and Director of Operations Frederick Remelius tells SBF that it has enabled bus drivers and aides to easily practice the procedure several times in the training area instead of having to do it inside a crowded bus.
Read More →Jessica A. Brown is arrested and arraigned, and faces charges of simple assault against a child, unauthorized school bus entry, disorderly conduct and harassment. Documents state that the boy told police that Brown, who is the mother of one of his friends, punched him in his right eye.
Read More →New Pennsylvania legislation passed by the state Senate and under consideration in the House would permit the use of such recordings for disciplinary or security purposes, but only if a school board adopts a policy to allow the practice and notifies students and parents of the policy.
Read More →The Pennsylvania-based school bus contractor continues its 22-year tradition of offering scholarships to deserving seniors at each of the high schools for which it provides student transportation. Among the 2013 recipients is Lauren Ahern, who attends Downingtown (Pa.) High School West.
Read More →The driver was arrested while off duty over a holiday weekend in 2011, and he was suspended and then fired after telling his supervisor of the incident. This May, the driver was granted his job back after an arbiter found that the district was “too harsh” when firing him, but district officials are hoping to overturn that decision.
Read More →The $499,994 three-year Natural Gas Vehicle Development Program grant is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. It will be used by Rose Tree Media School District to convert 14 existing diesel buses to compressed natural gas (CNG) and also to begin the process of purchasing eight new CNG buses.
Read More →A judge in Pennsylvania declines a prosecutor's suggestion that jail time "might be appropriate," sentencing the 62-year-old woman instead to community service and probation. The 5-year-old boy's skull was fractured when he was clipped by the woman's car as she illegally passed his bus.
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