A South Portland (Maine) School Department driver who was summonsed after an argument with a bicyclist in which he briefly trapped his hand in the door when he started to drive away, said the bicyclist got aggressive.
Read More →The transportation director for Portland Public Schools has won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the EPA, which will be presented to him on June 26. The award is in recognition of his work to reduce pollution from the school system’s bus fleet and raise awareness about the benefits of “greener” transportation.
Read More →Nathan Philbrick is able to stop his bus and administer the Heimlich maneuver to a student who was choking on candy and was not breathing. The district's superintendent says that the incident illustrates the importance of investing in safety training, even in tight budget years.
Read More →No one is injured in the blaze, but the Portland Public Schools bus sustains an estimated $35,000 in damage. The district says that an employee was patching the bus' seats using tape, liquid vinyl and a heat gun when the fire began.
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When the transportation director for Maine School Administrative District #61 in Bridgton discovers that 50% of bus drivers’ referrals are from bullying incidents, he tasks bus driver/trainer Line Mulcahy and her colleague with developing an anti-bullying campaign. Mulcahy discusses its components with SBF, and says that it has had a positive impact.
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The transportation staff at Maine School Administrative District #37 in Harrington incorporates side window emergency exit evacuation into its training following an accident wherein the rear exit of a bus became unusable. Director of Transportation Dawn Coffin tells SBF that the bus drivers learned safe techniques for this type of evacuation, and the district hopes to begin the training with students in the upcoming school year.
Read More →The state Department of Education is considering a rule next year that would prohibit school bus drivers from having unopened containers of alcohol in their vehicles after students found their driver's unopened beer on the bus. Currently, there is no state law that prohibits this.
Read More →At the Transfinder booth at the ASBO convention this weekend, Richard Soules will give two presentations on how Maine is delivering transportation management services at no cost to school districts.
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