An unusually persistent cold front sweeping snow and freezing rain across the U.S. last month exposed a key vulnerability in school transportation systems across the South and Mid-Atlantic regions, where prolonged bouts with such severe winter weather is rare.

School districts unaccustomed to sustained winter weather were forced to suspend or significantly alter school bus operations, triggering widespread school closures, delays and logistical strain.

In Virginia, where snowfall is typically modest and short-lived, school districts across northern and central parts of the state struggled to safely operate school buses after repeated rounds of snow, freezing rain and overnight refreezing.

Fairfax County Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, canceled or delayed classes for multiple days, citing icy secondary roads and blocked school bus stops. Albemarle County Public Schools reported similar challenges, noting that while major roadways were largely cleared, neighborhood streets remained hazardous for large school buses navigating early-morning routes.

In neighboring North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) also faced transportation disruptions as icy conditions lingered on secondary roads. District officials said decisions to close, delay, or shift to remote learning are guided by a broad, safety-first assessment that extends well beyond road conditions alone.

“CMS considers multiple factors, including primary and secondary road conditions, local and state plowing schedules, staff commute safety, student drivers and walkers, accessibility needs, and the readiness of more than 200 facilities that must be safely cleared of snow and ice,” said Tom Miner, assistant communications officer for the district.

Miner told STN that Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and administrative sites are not maintained by city or county crews. While local agencies focus on public roadways, district operations teams are responsible for clearing school parking lots, entrances, walkways, and bus lots to ensure safe conditions on campuses.

Because Charlotte-Mecklenburg serves a geographically large and diverse community, Miner said decisions prioritize countywide student and staff safety. When school is in session, district operations significantly increase traffic on local roads through buses, staff vehicles, families and student drivers, a factor weighed carefully during weather-related decision-making. District leaders also rely on guidance from weather experts and emergency management officials as recovery efforts unfold across the county.

The impact of the cold front was also pronounced in Tennessee, where severe winter weather remains relatively infrequent outside of mountainous areas. In east and middle Tennessee, a rare combination of freezing temperatures, snow and icy road conditions prompted widespread school closures as bus fleets were sidelined. Metro Nashville Public Schools canceled classes after determining that residential roads and rural routes were unsafe for bus travel.

Rocky (and Icy) Top

In Knox County, back-to-back winter storms over the past two weeks forced multiple canceled instructional days and delayed schedules. Ryan Dillingham, executive director of transportation for Knox County Schools, said even modest winter weather can have outsized effects in the region.

“We’re in an area that typically does not see heavy winter weather, so a relatively small amount that wouldn’t even be worth considering in other parts of the country can impact us heavily,” Dillingham told STN.

Dillingham said the district relies on a network of contracted bus operators positioned throughout Knox County to assess road conditions during weather events, combining those reports with forecast data and information from law enforcement, first responders and school safety and maintenance teams to guide decision-making.

“One of the unexpected impacts of these storms has been to drain our supplies of salt and de-icing compounds,” he explained. “We’re almost out locally, and suppliers are facing delays getting resupplies. That has led the county to prioritize major thoroughfares over neighborhood roads, which is logical and appropriate, but we have a lot of stops on neighborhood roads, so we feel that impact.”

Transportation officials across the region emphasized that many school bus fleets in southern states are not equipped with snow tires or chains, equipment typically unnecessary given their usual climates. Even brief overnight refreezing made routes unpredictable, forcing districts to prioritize safety over maintaining regular schedules.

Educators expressed frustration with the disruptions but largely supported school district decisions, acknowledging that transportation systems designed primarily for extreme heat and heavy rain are ill-suited for winter storms. The disruptions also renewed discussions about preparedness, with some districts exploring expanded use of remote learning days or adjustments to academic calendars to account for weather-related instructional losses. While forecasters expect temperatures to gradually moderate, school leaders say the cold front has already left a lasting impression.

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What should a school transportation department expect in the wake of a serious or fatal school bus crash? In Tennessee, a painstakingly thorough post-crash investigation process begins by reviewing the bus driver’s training and the bus maintenance records, three of the state’s highway patrol troopers said.

In the immediate aftermath of a school bus crash, school staff should expect authorities to follow specific protocol, beginning with ensuring that everyone who’s injured receives the care they need. Next, they will take steps to preserve the crash scene, properly document physical evidence, take photos, and collect witness statements.

“That includes making sure that nothing’s being taken out before it’s documented and that everything that can be done at the scene is done before anyone starts moving stuff or letting people go,” said Sgt. Jena Eubanks of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. “We may put down paint where a vehicle comes to rest just so we can come out later and measure the scene if need be.”

Lt. Raymond Gaskill said the first steps when investigating a serious or fatal school bus crash include securing the bus driver’s information to determine the commercial driver’s license and training record.

“We’re going to verify that the bus has been inspected and that it was supposed to be operational,” Gaskill said. “Even if the crash is not investigated by the highway patrol, transportation directors know that our team of inspectors have to look at that bus before they put kids back on it.”

If an incident occurred while students were loading or unloading, authorities “want to make sure the eight-way lighting was on and the stop sign was out at the time of the crash so it can be documented,” Gaskill said. “Ninety percent of Tennessee buses have cameras nowadays, so we’ll make sure to get with those transportation directors and look at that video.”

Eubanks said post-crash inspections follow two paths.

“There’s what we do on the people side, and we’ll inspect the bus to see what damage, if there is any damage, occurred as a result of the crash,” she said. “The post-crash inspection is conducted by certified personnel … and it’s a very thorough investigation where we’re breaking down that vehicle mere seconds before the crash and building it back up to see, ‘Was there something wrong with the vehicle at the time that was a causing a factor in the crash?’ Those can take a week or a couple days or weeks more, depending on what we’re dealing with.”

Gaskill said the “people side” probe includes a look back at least 24 hours into the driver’s activities.

“Were they sick? Did they stay up all night? Did they get enough rest? What were they doing? You know, those types of things would all play a factor into the crashes,” he explained.

Authorities will also review on-board technology during a crash event reconstruction with the recognition that systems may not be calibrated or accurate.

“We may use the GPS, but we’d have to look at other factors. My calculations as a reconstructionist tell me their minimum speed was this. The GPS says they were going that fast. That would help your case, but we don’t just take GPS at its word,” Gaskill said.

Distraction the Most Prevalent Cause of Crashes

The most common factors in minor and serious school bus crashes involve hitting mirrors on other vehicles due to being too close to the center line and tail swing when the rear of a bus crosses the center line, according to Gaskill. But, he added, “You would be amazed at how many people rear end a school bus, and you can’t train for that.”

Eubanks said most crashes she sees are caused by “some type of distraction.”

“Whether it’s on the driver of the bus or the driver of the other vehicle because most crashes can be prevented, but I would say most of them are distractions,” Eubanks said.

Capt. Allen England said Gaskill’s and Eubanks’ observations can be covered under one umbrella: Human error.

“Whether it’s distraction or tail swing or something else, that’s human error in the operation of the vehicle. Whether it be loading or unloading children or a child getting caught in a door and dragged, it’s the people factor, human error,” he said. “Rarely do we ever see, maybe two out of 100 times, a mechanical defect that may have contributed to a crash. But that’s human error, too.”

The best crashes, though, are the ones that never happen, thanks to foresight and preparation. The Tennessee Highway Patrol’s focus on preventing crashes begins by inspecting 147 school districts’ roughly 9,800 buses.

“We inspect every school bus in the state at least once per year, some twice or more per year. We train every driver at least one time per year, maybe more. We notify transportation directors of downgrades or anything that alters that driver’s license that they need to know about or they may need to take a driver out of a school bus,” England said. “We have a very robust program, and we have committed individuals to the program to help kids safe.”

The four hours of mandated driver training address common safety issues, Gaskill said. “We look at the crashes that come in across the state throughout the year, and that’s what we train next year,” he added. “If we have a lot of tail swing incidents, we make sure to put in training about tail swing. … Student management is always a big one.”

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As long as transportation departments are performing proper bus maintenance and conducting effective training, England said, his best advice for fleet managers to prevent accidents is “first and foremost, know your driver.

“The driver is typically the largest factor in the crash. So, they need to understand the driver and what’s going on with them. If the driver is going through something horrendous in his personal life, is that going to affect his ability to safely operate that bus?” he continued. “Know your driver and engage with those drivers as frequently as you can.”

Eubanks agreed. In addition to extending England’s advice to the shop foreperson and mechanics, she encouraged fleet managers to conduct video reviews of bus drivers and follow up on complaints about erratic or unsafe driving.

“Also make sure your drivers are doing what they’re supposed to do regarding pre-trips and post-trips. Pre-trip and post-trip (inspections) are required by federal mandate and by our state regulations,” Eubanks said. “Make sure that driver is taking that time in the morning and in the afternoon to walk around their bus make sure everything’s good to go on it, and notating anything that’s wrong and ensuring that that bus is getting fixed properly.”

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A terrifying incident unfolded when a Dickson County School District bus burst into flames along Highway 49 East, forcing a quick evacuation of the children on board, reported WKRN.

The Dickson County Sheriff’s Office said the school bus driver noticed smoke coming from his dashboard Dec. 3 and immediately pulled into the lot of a gas station. Within moments of the evacuation, the bus became fully engulfed in flames.

The school bus driver is in his first year on the job and is being called a hero for saving the lives of the 38 students on board a the time.

“I was the first one to get off the bus because I was scared it was going to blow up,” said Asher Winters, a second-grade student at Charlotte Elementary School who was riding the bus, to local news reporters.

His younger sister, Penelope Winters, a first-grader at the same school, proudly told the reporters she “saved everyone because I told the bus driver it was happening.”

According to the news report, fire crews from the Harpeth Ridge Volunteer Fire Department responded swiftly and extinguished the blaze. Officials confirmed that no injuries were reported. Images taken after the fire reveal the charred shell of the vehicle, which authorities say is a total loss.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The school bus was a spare as the driver’s normal bus was in the shop that day. A spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol said the bus that caught fire had been inspected in August.

“Wednesday’s bus fire could have ended tragically, but it didn’t because of the bus driver,” added Maj. Travis Plotzer. “He saw danger, he acted fast, and he got every student off the bus before anyone got hurt. His quick thinking and being calm under pressure saved lives, without a doubt. What he did was brave and professional, and he did exactly what we’d hope for in a moment like that.”

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In the heart of rural Tennessee, Stewart County Schools spans over 400 square miles, with just two traffic lights and a student population of around 1,900.

For decades, the district’s transportation system relied on the experience and memory of longtime Transportation Director Eric Watkins, who knows every road, house, and student by heart. But as Watkins contemplates retirement, he realized the next person in his role wouldn’t have the same institutional knowledge. That’s when Transfinder entered the picture—and changed everything.

“I’ve always said that my routing is in my head, but my head is getting very old,” he joked, “and it’s getting close to the time for me to call it quits here one of these days. I just said, ‘Listen, the next person that does my job is going to have something [Transfinder] because they don’t know where the roads are, they don’t know where the houses are, they don’t know where the kids are.”

Watkins had seen Transfinder at trade shows for years but always assumed it was too expensive for a small district like his. That changed when he met representatives from Transfinder, who walked him through the full package and pricing.

Watkins took the proposal to the school board with a clear message: “You either do it today or you do it when I leave. But at some point, you’re going to have to do it because I’m not going to be here forever.”

He successfully made his case and “they let me have the entire package,” he said.

Watkins was so confident in Transfinder’s award-winning solutions that he told the board that the technology would save enough money to pay for itself.

He was right.

One of the first major wins came from route optimization. Stewart County operates 32 bus routes, transporting about 1,500 students daily. With Transfinder’s GPS and mapping tools, Watkins could see exactly where each student lived, when they were picked up, and how long each route took.

This visibility is helping him consolidate routes without cutting jobs. When a driver announced an upcoming retirement, Watkins uses Routefinder PLUS to see where he can combine routes among existing drivers.

Watkins said he could easily adjust nearby routes and start shifts 15 minutes earlier which will essentially absorb that route. That single change eliminated the need to hire a replacement and saved enough money to cover the entire cost of Transfinder for the year.

But the savings didn’t stop there.

Using Transfinder’s fleet maintenance and inventory management tool Servicefinder, the district’s mechanics gained remote access to bus diagnostics. If a driver reports a warning light, the garage can instantly assess the issue and advise whether the bus can continue on its route or if it needs to be swapped out. This reduces downtime, avoids unnecessary dispatches, and keeps students on schedule.

Transfinder also helped improve fleet management. Watkins now monitors every bus on a 32-inch screen in his office, tracking location, speed, fuel levels, and more. Even buses on field trips 100 miles away are visible. This level of oversight has improved safety, accountability, and efficiency across the board.

The district is also rolling out Viewfinder, which allows school secretaries to instantly access bus assignments for students—no more radio calls or delays. “We’re in a different world now,” Watkins said. Now school officials can assist those elementary students about what bus to get on.

Tripfinder is another tool Watkins is excited about. Previously, the district used a separate system for field trip scheduling, but Tripfinder will allow drivers to log mileage and time directly, automatically generating invoices and sending them to payroll. It’s a seamless process that saves time and reduces paperwork.

Watkins also championed Stopfinder, a parent app that provides real-time bus tracking. “It was all me,” he said. “I want parents to have every bit of knowledge they can have. Plus, they won’t be calling me asking where the bus is.”

It’s a game-changer.

The impact of Transfinder on Stewart County Schools goes beyond savings. It’s about preparing the district for the future, improving safety, and serving the community more effectively. Watkins, who has served the district for 38 years, sees Transfinder as a legacy investment.

Watkins is sold on Transfinder.

“It’s been exactly what they told me it would be,” he said.

In a place where relationships matter and every dollar counts, Transfinder has proven to be more than just software—it’s a partner in progress.

To learn more about Transfinder’s award-winning solutions, call 800-373-3609, email solutions@transfinder.com or visit transfinder.com.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

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A Fayette County school bus driver is under investigation after reportedly leaving a group of young children unattended inside a restaurant while he ordered breakfast and used the restroom during his morning route, reported Fox 13.

The incident reportedly happened on Aug. 7 when the driver pulled up with five elementary-aged students estimated to be between 5 and 7 years old and brought them into the restaurant. Cyndi Oliver, owner of Sweet Creations & Our Daily Bread in La Grange, Tennessee, said the school bus driver told her he couldn’t leave the children alone on the bus, so he escorted them inside before heading to the restroom.

“He came back in and said, ‘You know, I really can’t leave the kids on the bus,’” Oliver recalled. “Then he went to the restroom and left the children here.”

Oliver said the students were left sitting at a table, unsupervised, for about 10 minutes while the driver was in the restroom. After receiving his order, the driver reportedly returned to the bus, parked across the street and ate his meal before continuing his route.

According to the news report, Oliver was concerned about what she saw and contacted the Fayette County School Board immediately but said she didn’t receive a response for several hours. She later posted about the incident in a local community Facebook group, urging parents of children who ride bus No. 73 to reach out.

“Ten minutes is a long time,” she said via the report. “If I hadn’t been that person, I could have asked any one of those children to come with me … and they would have gone.”

In response, Fayette County Public Schools issued a statement via the article acknowledging the incident and confirming that the situation is under review.

“Student safety is our top priority, and we take this matter very seriously,” the statement reads. “The situation is currently under investigation in accordance with district policy and procedures. Because this is a personnel matter, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”

Oliver said she was later contacted by a school district official who assured her that steps would be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. However, the district has not provided details regarding those specific measures when contacted by local news reporters.

As of this report, the bus driver’s status with the district remains unclear pending the outcome of the investigation.

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The post Tennessee School Bus Driver Under Investigation After Leaving Children Unattended appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Nashville family is raising serious concerns after a 5-year-old kindergartner with autism was mistakenly placed on a school bus and then left wandering alone for nearly an hour on Monday afternoon, reported WSMV 4.

Zontrail Brinson, a nonverbal student at Ida B. Wells Elementary School, was supposed to be picked up by a parent at school dismissal. However, school officials said there was a “tagging error,” and Brinson was placed on a school bus then dropped off several blocks away, alone and unsupervised.

“It’s scary. I wouldn’t want to be alone by myself, especially being nonverbal,” said Rosalind Derrick, Brinson’s grandmother.

She explained that the family only learned of the incident when Brinson’s mother arrived at the school to pick him up and was told he wasn’t there.

Derrick told local news reporters that Brinson was dropped off at the intersection of 7th Street and Howerton, near Meigs Middle School, and began walking down the sidewalk. She said the school bus driver briefly spoke to the child but received no response and allowed him to exit the bus.

“When you didn’t see an adult, you should have just called the school or taken him back to the school,” she advised.

Brinson was eventually located by a police officer at a nearby playground and safely reunited with his family. While thankful unharmed, Derrick said the ordeal is every parent and guardian’s nightmare.

“I’m a praying grandmother. I was just praying and trusting that he would be found and everything would be okay,” she said.

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) acknowledged the incident and apologized.

“We deeply regret the distress this caused the family and are grateful the student was found safe,” said Sean Braisted, a district spokesperson. “As soon as the school was notified, staff and a school resource officer responded quickly and located the student at a park near his home. The school and transportation teams are reviewing the incident and reinforcing dismissal protocols to help ensure this does not happen again.”

Braisted clarified that as part of MNPS’s onboarding process, all kindergarten students zoned for school bus service receive a transportation tag. In this case, a teacher mistakenly attached a bus tag to Brinson’s backpack, which led to him being placed on a school bus despite the family’s plan for him to be picked up.

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