Cleaire assets acquired by ESW

Cleaire, which offered a variety of diesel particulate filters to retrofit school buses and other vehicles, closed in January. Environmental Solutions Worldwide has now acquired Cleaire's product line and certain assets, and California air officials say that the company "is committed to providing technical and warranty support to Cleaire customers."

Police seek man who followed girl around bus stop

Authorities in Redlands, Calif., ask for the public's help to identify a man who followed an 11-year-old girl on her way to and from a school bus stop last week. During the second incident, the man began asking the girl questions about her school and her clothing.

Veteran school transportation manager ends career with one last trip

When Louk Markham got behind the wheel of a school bus recently, it wasn't just any field trip — it was his final journey in a pupil transportation career that began nearly 40 years ago. Markham, who concluded his tenure as transportation supervisor at Merced (Calif.) City School District, discusses the highlights and challenges of his time in the yellow bus industry.

District board votes to restore 4 bus routes

Merced Union High School District’s board votes to resume morning-only bus service on April 8 for four routes for the rest of the 2012-13 school year. A trustee for the California district reportedly says the decision is beneficial for students and will keep everyone safe.

CASTO conference takes on distracted driving

At the California Association of School Transportation Officials’ annual event, several sessions address the dangers of distracted driving, while other sessions cover lessons learned from fatal incidents involving buses, and effective teaching strategies. The vendor show features more than 30 exhibitors.

2013 CASTO Conference

Principal, teacher revive girl struck by school bus

The 5-year-old is hit in front of an elementary school in California when the bus rolls backward down a hill. The school officials find that she has stopped breathing, so they perform CPR, and the girl regains consciousness shortly thereafter.

Teacher unknowingly allows sex offender on school bus

On the way back from a field trip, the teacher offers a student's parent and the parent’s male companion a ride on the bus. It's later discovered that the man is a registered sex offender. The California district’s superintendent says the incident is a “breach of our policy.”

Colorado team wins special-needs roadeo

Myra Walstead and Jesse Hill from Academy School District 20 take first place in the annual National Special Needs Team Safety Roadeo. The runner-up teams hail from Georgia and California.

1 of Chowchilla school bus kidnappers denied parole

A California board again finds James Schoenfeld unsuitable for release from prison, but he will be re-examined in three years. In 1976, Schoenfeld and two others hijacked a school bus and imprisoned the 26 children and their driver in a buried moving van.