CONCORD, N.C. — The second full day of training at STN EXPO East saw qualified participants bussed to Topgolf Charlotte-Southwest for the exclusive Transportation Director Summit led by sports author and trainer Scott Welle. Other participants traveled to Cabarrus County Schools for the National School Bus Inspection Training.

Back at the conference center, industry veterans and experts led sessions on student school bus captains, illegal passing, pre-k safety restraints, student homelessness, children left on school buses, and more. Violent incident applications such as driver response training, fire department collaboration, and mock casualty events were also discussed.

Attendees and vendors networked amid several food and drink stations that evening at a party hosted by HSM.

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Photos by Vincent Rios Creative.

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The National School Bus Inspection Training commenced Friday with classroom instruction and finished Saturday with hands-on inspections and manufacturer training.

Instructors came from the South Carolina Department of Education, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township in Indiana, Paulding County School District in Georgia, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, and Clean Cities Long Beach in California.

Two-dozen class participants were bused Saturday morning to nearby Cabarrus County Schools, where they participated in the hands-on training, including recognizing defects on school buses that were situated throughout modernized, technologically advanced facility, dubbed locally as the “Garage Mahal.”

OEM training overview was provided by ROUSH CleanTech and Blue Bird on propane autogas systems, IC Bus on diesel emission systems, and Thomas Built Buses on high-voltage electric school buses.

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Photos by Mike Bullman and Sandy Dillman.

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CONCORD, N.C. — STN Publisher Tony Corpin was joined for the morning welcome session by Arthur Whittaker, director of transportation for Cabarrus County Schools. The National School Bus Inspection Training heads there on Saturday, while participants today completed classroom training.

Attendees who participated in the NHTSA Child Passenger Safety on School Buses National Training focused on the use of child safety restraint systems. Meanwhile, transportation leaders and vendor partners kicked off the exclusive two-day Transportation Director Summit with roundtable discussions.

Sessions were also held on societal violence’s impact on school transportation, hurricane recovery, vans vs. school buses, utilizing social media, student ridership, and safety equipment.

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(Photos by Vincent Rios Creative.)

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The family of a 6-year-old student who was left inside a Reynoldsburg City Schools bus for hours filed a lawsuit claiming the school district failed to investigate the incident appropriately, reported The Columbus Dispatch.

The incident took place last year, when the nonverbal boy was left unattended and secured in a child safety restraint system on a school bus seat for hours.

According to the news report, the lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, and it alleges that the district violated the child’s right to an education by putting him in danger, as well as treating his family differently because they are non-native English speakers from Nepal.

The parents of the child reportedly filed the lawsuit as John and Jane Doe to protect their child’s identity.

The lawsuit reportedly claims the boy’s mother put the then 6-year-old boy on his regular school bus on Feb. 16, 2023, to attend afternoon preschool classes. The boy was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and received special education services through Reynoldsburg City Schools.

Because of his specific needs, the boy would reportedly be secured in a harness on the school bus.

The lawsuit claims the boy did not return home from preschool that day at the regular time. The father tried calling both the school district and the bus garage but no one answered. He proceeded to the preschool but was told there were no children left in the building. That’s when the parents called the police and reported their son missing.

Court records reportedly indicate police found the child on a school bus at the district’s bus garage. The bus had reportedly brought the boy to his street but dropped him at a neighbor’s home. The preschool had marked the boy as absent from school on that day. However, the boy’s parents do not know where the boy was for the approximately five hours he was unaccounted for and believe he may have been left on the school bus harnessed inside his seat. The exact events of that day remain unclear.

According to the lawsuit, the boy’s parents met with district officials and requested through an interpreter to view the video from the school bus. The lawsuit alleges that the request was passed around the school district for about three weeks, at which time the video had been recorded over and was no longer available.

Administrators reportedly told the boy’s parents via an interpreter that the district had conducted and completed a full investigation, yet no documentation was provided to the parents. The district also allegedly told the interpreter, to stop communicating with the parents. The district told local news reporters through a spokesperson that it is unable to comment on pending litigation.

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In addition to school bus maintenance professionals identifying the most defects in the least amount of time during an inspection, new training opportunities have been added to the hands-on National School Bus Inspection Training Program held on March 23 in North Carolina during STN EXPO East.

The National School Bus Inspection Training Program begins March 22 with classroom training using a manual that lists every component a technician should be familiar with and be inspecting regularly to keep school buses in the best operating condition. The course exceeds the requirements of federal and state departments of transportation. The instructors will then administer an exam that tests the class participants’ retention of the information covered.

Day two on March 23 will be hosted by Cabarrus County Schools. The class will be split into two groups for guided inspections led by program instructors or advanced inspections, where the participants will perform solo, timed inspections for defects. All the inspections cover the engine compartment, underneath a lifted school bus, and the internal cab.

The event also includes manufacturer training. ROUSH CleanTechwill provide an overview of its propane autogas system in the Blue Bird Vision. Thomas Built Buses will provide an overview of high voltage maintenance and safety on its Jouley electric school bus. Representatives from Clean Cities will first gauge participants’ familiarity with electric school buses and quiz them on components. A fourth training module is pending.

Prior to school buses leaving for Cabarrus County Schools on March 23, Transfinder will present an overview of maintenance software and its relation to vehicle inspections. Lunch will be provided to class participants at Cabarrus County Schools and buses will return to the hotel when training concludes.

The inspection and training program cost $199 per person for March 21 and 22 through Feb. 14. Secure $100 off main conference registration — which includes over two dozen additional educational sessions, the Green Bus Summit and related Ride and Drive/Technology Demonstration at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Bus Technology Summit, the Trade Show, and all related lunch and evening events — also through Feb. 14.

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The owner of a school bus company in New Jersey was sentenced to five years in state prison for endangering students by hiring unqualified drivers, reported Shore News.

The owner of the company, Ahmed Mahgoub, was sentenced on Jan. 23, after it came to light that the company was failing to perform drug tests and conduct background checks on drivers. It was also reported that the drivers were operating unsafe vehicles.

Mahgoub, 65, owned F&A Transportation, Inc., and pleaded guilty last year to false representation for government contract. His company, which operated in multiple counties, including Essex, Passaic, Morris and Union, secured public school transportation contracts worth $3.5 million from 2016 to 2020.

According to the article, an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and the New Jersey State Police found that Mahgoub hired drivers without valid commercial licenses or criminal background checks.

Some drivers reportedly had criminal records, suspended licenses, or even substance abuse problems. In addition, Mahgoub and his company falsified vehicle inspections forms to cover up safety violations. New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission inspections in 2019 found that nearly all of the company’s buses failed.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said via the article that Mahgoub not only flouted government regulations and standards but also risked the lives of children. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Mahgoub and F&A Transportation must pay $500,000 in corruption profiteering penalties and are banned from doing business with the state for 10 years.

F&A co-owner Faiza Ibrahim, 50, also reportedly entered a pretrial intervention and faces her own penalties.

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A parent is demanding answers after her 3-year-old was left on a school bus in a snowy depot alone for hours, reported WTOC News.

Talia Anderson told local news reporters that the incident took place midday Jan.10, after her daughter Aziyah was picked up by the school bus to go to preschool at Richton Square Elementary in Richton Park, Illinois.

Hours later, the school reportedly called Anderson asking why Aziyah was not in attendance. The mother worried about her daughter’s well-being. Sometime later, the superintendent called Anderson back saying Aziyah had fallen asleep on the way to preschool and was found on her school bus at the depo in Country Club Hills.

According to the news report, Anderson stated she was very frustrated because of this incident and questioned how they could leave a 3-year-old behind.

A spokesperson for Matteson School District said via the article that Aziyah was not delivered to the school and instead was unknowingly transported back to the bus depot. The bus driver involved in the matter will no longer provide services for District 162 because safety policies and procedures were not followed.

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