A Bay County, Florida, paraprofessional for Bay District Schools is facing child abuse charges following an incident on a school bus earlier this month, reported WDHN News.

According to the news report, Panama City Police arrested 57-year-old Sylinda Goodman on Wednesday and charged her with four counts, including child abuse and simple assault with the intentional threat to commit violence.

Investigators say via the article that on Nov. 5, the school bus cameras recorded Goodman hitting, punching and pinching several children through her job as a paraprofessional.

According to the article, the video allegedly recorded Goodman instructing one student with disabilities to hit another child who is non-verbally autistic.

Goodman is reportedly being held in the Bay County Jail on a $10,000 bond. Police also charged the bus driver Althea Russell with child neglect for failing to intervene or report the alleged abuse.

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The post Florida Paraprofessional Facing Child Abuse Charges appeared first on School Transportation News.

A 13-year-old female student shot herself with a gun while on board the school bus.

A news release issued by the St. Petersburg Police Department said the school bus was transporting 20 students to Tyrone Middle School, a Pinellas School District campus, Tuesday morning at the time of the incident.

The police confirmed that the student had brought the gun onto the school bus but that no other students were threatened or harmed. The student who shot herself was transported to All Children’s Hospital with a gunshot wound and was in stable condition at this report.

Police added that officers were able to take possession of the gun and are currently investigating how the student gained access to it.

School Transportation News reached out to the Pinellas School District and received the following statement: “The district’s Student Services counselors, social workers and school-based team members were on-site at the school today to assist students and staff. They will continue to be on-site to provide support as long as needed. The safety of students and staff is the highest priority.”

The school district confirmed that the incident is an ongoing active investigation with the St. Petersburg Police Department. Anyone with safety concerns is encouraged to contact the district.

The district’s website states that the transportation department is dedicated to high safety standard adding that the efforts of students, parents, school staff and bus drivers are all crucial to a safe bus ride. For example, the website includes a form for students, parents and community members to submit transportation safety concerns.

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The Tesla Cybertruck is a spectacle on wheels—a massive, angular slab that looks more suited to the set of a sci-fi film than the local Walmart parking lot. But it’s not just about turning heads; as one Florida man found out, it can also be a weapon of vigilante justice. When an unsuspecting owner rented his Cybertruck out through Turo he had no idea that his ride would end up in the middle of a high-stakes confrontation with a porch pirate.

The incident happened in Florida close to the renters home in Brooksville. “About to find out how good TURO’s insurance is… Yesterday my renter saw a porch pirate running to car with his box, accelerated and crashed into said porch pirate making a sandwich with the burglar’s car and a tree,” said the owner, Stefen Phelps, on Facebook.

More: Cybertruck Shames Lamborghini In 5-Second Street Race, And Police Aren’t Happy

Video shows the moment when the renter drove up toward his house and saw the pirate leaving the porch before jumping into what looks like a Genesis G80 sedan. With basically zero hesitation, the Cybertruck driver accelerates up to the Genesis, gets beside it, and keeps it from successfully turning left, the only direction available on that particular road. With nowhere else to go, the Genesis driver fails to slow down in time and hits a tree next to the road.

In the process, the Cybertruck driver ended up in a bad position behind the Genesis and also couldn’t stop in time to avoid hitting the sedan. The resulting damage is significant to the Cybertruck. The hood, quarter panel, front bumper, and more are significantly impacted. According to Phelps, Turo Insurance is so far handling the case without issue.

Videos Imgur

As for the porch pirate and his accomplices, Phelps told Carscoops that “I believe there were three people in the car, and they’ve all been arrested. I gave the evidence to the police. They were looking for the last one mid-last week I assume they probably got him by now.”

What remains unclear, however, is whether the Tesla driver might face charges any serious himself. Going full vigilante with a rented EV isn’t exactly a textbook example of self-defense, after all.

Image Credit: Stefen Phelps

Ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast and mass evacuations, school districts across the state have been preparing for the so-called “storm of the century.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Milton is a “dangerous major hurricane” that was expected to make landfall Wednesday evening. Earlier Wednesday, NOAA said Milton was a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of about 145 mph. The massive storm is projected to cut across the Florida peninsula and remain a hurricane until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. A storm surge of 15 feet or greater is expected all along the Florida Gulf Coast, with the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers areas especially impacted.

Many areas along the Gulf Coast are still recovering from Hurricane Helene that hit a week ago.

On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted that even if Milton weakens before making landfall, it “will be a major hurricane with catastrophic impacts on our state … Time is running out …”

While many Florida residents evacuated out of state, DeSantis advised that even evacuations of 10 miles away from the coast can help residents avoid the deadly storm surge. He said everyone should be prepared for widespread power outages. Florida also has over 50,000 electrical linemen “and all the necessary equipment staged just outside of Milton’s path.”

School Transportation News reached out to several school districts to gauge how they were preparing for Milton. Orange County Public Schools serving the Orlando area was the only one to respond at this report.

While Orlando is normally a destination for residents seeking shelter from hurricanes, as most reduce to a tropical storm by the time they get there, Milton is expected to also cause tornados in addition to torrential rain and flooding. William Wen, the senior director of transportation services for Orange County Public Schools, told STN on Tuesday that staff begins topping of school bus fuel tanks 24 hours out from a storm’s arrival.

“When we shut down, all buses will nearly be full and our fuel suppliers can top off our tanks at our fuel islands at six locations,” he said. “With the buses full and fueling stations at capacity, we can operate for about 1 week without needing another fuel delivery, if needed. It’s important to be ready to support schools to reopen for students as soon as it is safe after a storm event.”

The transportation department is also part of the District Incident Management Team, which is led by the OCPS Safety and Emergency Management (SEM) department. Leaders from all district departments make up the team.

“When a storm is approaching, regular virtual meetings are set up for storm updates, to review what each department is doing in preparation of the storm, how we can support each other, and to review plans for recovery,” Wen explained.

The district’s SEM Department communicates closely with the local and state offices of emergency management, Wen continued. The SEM department assigns staff to the local county emergency operations center as the district provides schools for shelters as needed.

“Transportation services serves as the back up to the local transit authority for mass evacuations,” he added. “At the start of each school year, we gather a list of school bus drivers that are willing to help during an emergency for us to call when needed.”

The Washington Post reported that Milton could be Florida’s largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Wen noted that all OCPS transportation sites are located above flood zones, so the devastation that coastal districts can sustain is usually not the case in Orlando. “We are anticipating tropical storm sustained winds up to 65 mph and hurricane level wind gusts up to 75 to 90 mph from Milton,” he said.

Transportation staff also remove anything from parking lots and facilities that can blow away, and older buses are parked around the buildings to block major debris from hitting windows and doors, he explained. The buses are parked together with passenger doors facing inward to minimize winds from blowing them open. Stop arms are secured to prevent them from being blown out.

“Once all the buses are back from the last runs, we park the older buses to circle around the rest to protect them from wind and debris damage,” Wen shared.

After a storm passes, “when it’s safe to venture out,” Wen said, area transportation managers visit their services areas to determine if roads are flooded or blocked by debris. They report to the senior transportation staff member assigned to the OCPS emergency coordination center the areas that need attention for debris removal and traffic signal repairs.

OCPS is closed Wednesday through Friday due to the storm and will reopen on Tuesday after an already scheduled student holiday-teacher workday on Monday. The Florida Department of Education said 46 county school districts are closed Wednesday, 45 on Thursday, and 29 on Friday.

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The devastation of Helene is being felt across the Southeast U.S. as the death toll was over 200 and counting with communities across a half-dozen states were left underwater, without power and cell service.

According to local news reports, at least 20 locations in western North Carolina received record rainfall that reached the 1,000-year flood threshold. Statistically speaking, flooding of this magnitude or greater has a 1 in 1,000 chance of occurring in any given year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

As of Thursday, over half of the 215 recorded deaths at that time had occurred in North Carolina, with the Asheville area the worst hit. Florida, where Helene made landfall last Thursday, announced at least 19 deaths. Georgia confirmed 33 deaths, South Carolina counted 41 deaths so far and Georgia 33 deaths. Florida, where Helene made landfall last Thursday, has at least 19 deaths, Tennessee, 11 and Virginia, two.

Gov. Ron Desantis released a statement confirming that emergency responders had to bulldoze four to five feet of sand off road to clear bridges and causeways along Florida’s Gulf Coast due to storm surges and flooding.

Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, told local journalists that over 100 people were confirmed missing with the number expected to grow.

Additionally, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said on their website that they have inspected over 100 bridges in 36 hours. Officials still have hundreds more to check.

State departments of transportation are also working around the clock to evaluate and repair highway infrastructure that ahs been closed due to being washed out if not completely destroyed, reported Roads & Bridges.

According to the National Weather Service, there are some concerns about additional landslides as precipitation could produce more runoff that can potentially result in unstable slopes across mountainous terrains.

In a statement, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced he would be deploying resources from the state’s emergency management agency and National Guard to North Carolina. Additionally, both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont will also be assisting in recovery efforts.

Subsequently, many school districts across these states announced closures of at least a week via social media. It was unclear in this report the extent of any damage to the district school buses and transportation operations across the Southeast.

Schools in several counties in North Carolina stated that poor road conditions as well as communications and electrical disruptions have impeded its reopening. Some districts have considered e-learning.

Carter County Schools in Tennessee said it be closed until Friday but will be providing food services across the county to families. Additionally, Jasper County School District in South Carolina also served bagged lunches at some of their campuses on Tuesday.

Asheville City Schools in North Carolina released a statement on social media announcing an indefinite closure. The district is working closely with first responders and county officials to set up a free Wi-Fi and a charging station in the main parking lot of the middle school.

District superintendent Dr. Maggie Fehrman sent a message thanking those that have been working nonstop during their recovery process.

A spokesperson for Daimler Truck North America, parent company of Thomas Built Buses, told School Transportation News that plants in the Carolinas are operating although not all are at full capacity.

Statement from Daimler Truck North America

 

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. We wish everyone a full and speedy recovery.

 

At this time, all of our plants in the Carolinas are operational; not all are at full capacity. The Freightliner Custom Chassis plant in Gaffney, South Carolina, lost power due to the storm, but has since recovered. While we and our suppliers are assessing the impact on infrastructure and operations, we anticipate supply chain disruptions as some key components are manufactured in the affected areas.

 

DTNA has donated $100,000 to the Red Cross Hurricane Helene Relief Fund and has opened additional relief channels through Daimler Truck Cares.

Additionally, the spokesperson shared that Thomas Built Buses partnered with Carolina Thomas and Operation Airdrop to “stuff the bus” with needed supplies for the region.

Carolina Thomas, LLC said via social media that to support relief efforts they partnered with Operation Airdrop to fill buses with essential supplies and take them to drop-off centers throughout the week. Thomas Built Buses also confirmed via social media that they will be joining this partnership to help deliver essentials. Operation Airdrop is a non-profit organization that focuses on organizing general aviation assets in the aftermaths of natural disasters.

A spokeswoman for Blue Bird said school bus manufacturing facilities in Fort Valley, Georgia were “minimally affected” by Helene and that the company sustained no “lasting issues.” She added that all employees were safe and accounted, but the company remained “deeply saddened to see the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

“Our thoughts go out to those impacted both in Georgia and beyond.”

The Quartz Corp., a Norway-based company that makes semiconductor chips used in automobiles, has two mining facilities located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, about an hour outside of Asheville. They both shut down due to widespread flooding, power and communications outages.

The company released a statement on Tuesday announcing it faces multiple challenges and has no visibility on when operations will restart.

School Transportation News continues to monitor the situation in the Southeast and will provide further updates as the information is made available.

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The post Updated: The Aftermath of Hurricane Helene Across the Southeast U.S. appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Teague Middle School student in Florida was injured on Friday, after a tree branch fell on the school bus and broke its window, reported Click Orlando.

The incident reportedly occurred when the school bus was making a right turn. A branch from a nearby tree broke and hit the back window .

A child that was on board the bus received a minor cut due to broken glass. The student was treated at the scene, no other injuries were reported.

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That same Friday afternoon, a tree fell on an Ohio school bus with students on board, reported Fox 8.

West Chester Police said the tree that fell on the Lakota Local school bus also toppled electrical wires.

Students that were on the bus were kept inside the bus as a safety precaution, until crew from Duke Energy arrived at the scene and defused the situation.

No injuries were reported at the time of the incident.

The post Trees Fall on School Buses with Students on Board appeared first on School Transportation News.

JACKSONVILLE, Flo. – Research shows riding a bus is the safest way for students to get to and from school. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, students are almost 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a bus instead of traveling in a vehicle. To highlight this fact, Durham School Services is inviting council members to “Get on the Bus: Safety Starts Here” on Oct. 8 from 2 – 4 p.m. in front of City Hall (117 W. Duval St.).

Through this “Get on the Bus” event, council members will take a ride on a bus to experience firsthand how Durham gets students to school safely, on time and ready to learn. This unique opportunity will allow city leaders to learn about and explore Durham’s latest safety and technology features such as cameras with onboard video and audio recording, electronic vehicle inspection tools and more.

“Our commitment is to our students and getting them to school safely, reliably, and on time,” said David Armitt, Senior Vice President of Operations, Durham School Services. “We are honored and excited to continue our long-term partnership with Duval County Public Schools. This “Get on the Bus: Safety Starts Here” event is a great opportunity that will demonstrate how committed and hardworking our team members are and showcase how our vehicles have evolved over the years with the state-of-the-art safety technologies on board. We pride ourselves to be the student transportation leader, and through this opportunity, we are confident that the title will be reaffirmed once again.”

“Education is one of my top priorities. Getting our students to school safely is essential to ensure they have the knowledge to succeed. I want my colleagues to see Durham School Services’ state-of-the-art buses and the job drivers do transporting our students to and from school,” said Kevin Carrico, Jacksonville City Council Vice President.

“Get on the Bus” and learn more about student transportation. Durham School Services has been part of the Jacksonville area since 2009. It has almost 400 service routes in the Arlington, Southside, Mandarin and Beaches areas.

About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and people. For more than 100 years, we have been committed to excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our customers and the communities we serve.

The post Jacksonville City Council Set to “Get on the Bus” with Durham School Services to Tour and Ride a School Bus in Florida appeared first on School Transportation News.

The walking school bus made its way through Southeast Tallahassee as kids had the opportunity to bond with their fathers or father figures on their way to school, reported WTXL News.

Florida State University School, which is affiliated with Florida State University and offers classes for kindergarten through grade, reportedly had dozens of fathers show up to take part in a walking school bus activity where kids walk to school together with their father figures. This tradition has been going on for almost 10 years.

According to local news, this event took place on Sept. 19, where at least 70 students did a 25-minute walk to school, each one holding the hand of their fathers or father figure. This initiative promotes how children benefit from closeness with their dads.

Whitney Ray, a father who participated in the event with his son, told local news reporters how hard it is to have day-to-day school interactions like this with children as working parents. So, he was happy to see friends and other dads engaging in this activity.

FSUS students and their father figures can reportedly participate in this tradition every third Wednesday of the month throughout the school year.

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The post Florida Fathers and Father Figures Join Students for Walking School Bus appeared first on School Transportation News.

Hurricane Helene slammed into the northwest Florida coast as Category 4 storm, bringing with it 140 mph winds and intense rain that had already resulted in widespread flooding that extended north into Georgia and had killed 22 at this report.

The National Weather Service had warned of unsurvivable storm surges all along the Gulf Coast of Florida.

In addition to the reported fatalities, multiple news reports indicated 4.4 million utility customers from Florida to Virginia were without power as of Friday morning.

About 60 of the state’s 73 public school districts were closed at least on Thursday in preparation for Helene’s landfall, which occurred at approximately 11 p.m. local time that evening, with many also closed on Friday.

For example, Citrus County School District announced it would close Thursday and Friday, and Lake County Schools were advised to close on Thursday. All Lake-Sumter campuses were closed, as well as all Marion County Public Schools and Polk County Schools.

The Florida Department of Education posted a full list of school closures on its website.

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties as Helene intensified to a hurricane on its path toward the state, according to the National Hurricane Center. DeSantis also activated the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard.

The Georgia Department of Education recommended all school districts in the Peach State dismiss early on Thursday and to remain closed Friday.

According to local news reports, Helene is the strongest hurricane to hit Florida so far this year, with strong winds hitting Florida’s Panhandle on Thursday morning. Helene made landfall not far from where Hurricane Idalia did last August.

A map from the National Hurricane Center showed Helene moving north through Florida on Thursday night.

The Florida Highway Patrol closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, after winds reached 60 mph. Mandatory evacuations from were issued as winds and flooding intensified.

Approximately 40 people were removed from rising water along the US19 corridor with assistance of the Pasco County Fire Rescue said the Pasco County Sheriff in a statement. The heavy rainfall resulted in urban and river flooding as well as landslides in the Southeast. Citrus County Sheriff told local news reporters emergency crews conducted more than 100 water rescues as storm surge from Helene stands at around 10 feet.

The hurricane weaken to a tropical storm as it made its way into Georgia and the eastern Carolinas as well as Tennessee. But winds remained at 45 mph. Rainfall was reported at 1- to 2-inches per hour. Flash floods hit northern Georgia, especially in the Atlanta area, as well as southeast South Carolina and southeast North Carolina. Tornados were also possible. Flash flood warnings were expected extend to the Washington, D.C. area, St. Louis, Missouri to Mobile, Alabama.

This is a developing story. STN will update as more information becomes available.

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The post Deadly Hurricane Helene Closes Schools in Multiple States Amid Catastrophic Flooding appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Brevard County school bus driver was arrested after being accused of assaulting a 12-year-old student, reported Fox 35.

According to the article, the South Alternative Learning Center called the Melbourne Police on Monday to report a disturbance on a school bus that was transporting students to the center.

During the investigation, officers found that the bus driver, 59-year-old William Green, had stopped the bus to confront a student.

Police stated via the news report that Green allegedly pushed the student into a seat and placed his hand around the student’s neck. This incident was witnessed by multiple students onboard.

A camera from the bus reportedly recorded the incident as well, and Green was taken into custody on a charge of child abuse without great bodily harm.

A spokesperson from the district told local news reporters that the Brevard County School District is cooperating with police.

No further details have been released about the student’s condition and the incident remains under investigation.

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A school bus driver in North Port, Florida, found ammunition inside a school bus on Thursday morning forcing schools within the district to lockdown.

The North Port Police Department released a statement around 10:30 a.m. confirming that Imagine School campuses were on lockdown due to ammunition being found in one of the school buses.

Officers were called to the scene and conducted an investigation. Students associated with that bus were questioned and a thorough search was conducted by authorities.

The school lockdown was lifted at around 11:15 a.m. However, police did not confirm if a student was involved in the incident or if an arrest was made. No statement from the district has been released.

This is a developing story. STN will provide an update as more information becomes available.

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The post Ammunition Found on Florida School Bus Causes School Lockdown appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Sumter County school bus in Florida crashed early Friday morning after a woman drove past a stop sign, reported ABC Action News.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 68-year-old woman, whose name was not released at this writing, was driving a Ford Escort Wagon east on CR-222 around 8:35 a.m., when she failed to stop at a controlled intersection.

The Ford then reportedly entered the path of the school bus, which was being driven by a 50-year-old unidentified woman and caused the collision.

Fourteen middle and high school students were onboard the bus at the time of the crash. No injuries were reported, and they were released to their parents.

Both drivers were taken to local hospitals. The 68-year-old motorist reportedly had serious injuries, while the bus driver suffered minor injuries.

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The post Florida School Bus Crashes After Motorist Runs Stop Sign appeared first on School Transportation News.

A 9-year-old boy in Florida was seriously injured after being struck by an SUV while waiting for his school bus, reported News Press.

The crash reportedly happened around 7:15 a.m. on Aug. 23. Troopers stated that the SUV was parked on the southeast corner of an intersection also waiting for a school bus, while the child was sitting on the road edge directly in front of the SUV.

A school bus then arrived at that location and several children boarded the bus. However, the 9-year-old boy did not board the bus, as his designated bus had not arrived yet. The first school bus drove away.

According to the news report, the SUV proceeded to drive forward, the motorist apparently unaware that the child was seated on the ground in front of the vehicle.

Authorities confirmed that the SUV struck the child, then backed up and stopped. The boy was airlifted to a local hospital and then referred to a children’s hospital.

Robert Gannon, the child’s father, told local news reporters that his son had surgery for a fractured femur and is slowly recovering. The child also had numerous road rash scrapes across his body.

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The post 9-year-old Boy Struck by SUV While Waiting for School Bus appeared first on School Transportation News.

The ongoing school bus driver shortage has impacted schools across Central Florida with some districts offering bonuses to attract new bus drivers, reported Daytona Times.

According to the news report, around 100 bus drivers were still needed in Orange County with the current drivers having to double up on routes. The district is offering bonuses up to $16,000 over the next two years.

Stetson University education professor Rajni Shankar-Brown said that Volusia County Schools where she teaches is also experiencing a bus driver shortage. She said these shortages were driven by COVID-19 retirements, low pay and poor work conditions.

Shakar-Brown told local news reporters that “low-income families are the ones impacted the most by the shortages as they do not have alternative transportation nor the privilege of being able to leave a job and pick up their child.”

Jude Bruno, the president-elect of the Florida PTA, reportedly added that without higher wages for bus drivers, schools will continue to have these problems.

Additionally, along with the school bus driver shortage, the Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, said there are almost 10,000 teachers and support staff vacancies throughout the state at the start of the school year.

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