CLICK HERE for details about this position….the deadline is May 29, 2013!

The legislation (S.5028-Young) would specifically allow school districts and school bus contractors to install cameras on their school buses that would engage once the Stop Arm of the bus is extended when the bus comes to a stop to pick up or discharge students.  The camera would capture images of the vehicle and license plate and those images would be used to issue a summons to the registered owner of the vehicle.  Currently, a ticket can be issued only by a police officer who witnesses the violation.

NYAPT President, Richard Gallagher (Bay Shore UFSD) stated, “In response to the continuing high-risk problem of motorists endangering
children by passing stopped school buses, Senator Young has introduced important legislation that would allow school buses to be equipped with Stop Arm cameras and to permit the evidence taken from those cameras to be used in prosecuting violators of Section 1174 of the Vehicle
and Traffic Law.”

“The number of school buses that are passed illegally each day is startling and something must be done to protect innocent children who are traveling to and from school. Far too often these drivers are never caught for committing such a dangerous violation and students are continually put in harm’s way. This bill would bring these drivers to justice and prevent them from getting away with such an egregious crime,” said Senator Young.

At least eight other states have enacted similar legislation in response to a growing national concern over illegal passing or ‘stop arm violations.’  NYAPT Executive Director, Peter Mannella, noted, “NYAPT applauds those states for their action in the face of a growing problem that presents a clear and constant risk to the safety of our children.  It’s time for New York to enact our own legislation for our children.”

Over many years, NYAPT has advocated for stricter laws governing illegal passing and for the installation of cameras on school buses
for this purpose.  In 2007, NYAPT conducted demonstration programs using digital license plate readers on school buses in several school districts including Syracuse, Canandaigua, Bethlehem and Brewster.  For example, in the Syracuse pilot project the camera recorded illegal passes at a rate of 1.6 times per day for the bus involved in the project.

Since 1993, NYAPT has cooperated with local law enforcement agencies and school bus operators across the state to conduct OPERATION SAFE STOP which is an enforcement and education program focused on illegal passing.  Over 1,300 tickets are written for violations of Section 1174 on an average OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY, indicating the severity of illegal passing as a traffic safety problem.

Operation Safe Stop Chairman, Thomas Weeks (STA), stated, “Operation Safe Stop has annually called attention to this danger for our
children.  This legislation will bolster the efforts of the school bus community as well as the dedicated work of our partners in law enforNYAPT Legislative Committee cement.  We urge passage of this legislation in New York.”

Chairman Anthony Quaranta (Owego-Apalachin CSD) said, “NYAPT members will be contacting their legislators and encouraging parents and school leaders across the state to support this important safety-related legislation.  We are all excited that this legislation is under consideration and we hope for its passage. We call on all who care about the safety of our children to get behind this important proposal.”

The proposed legislation includes the following provisions, among others:

• Retains the current fine structure for violations witnessed by a police officer;
• Establishes a minimum fine of between $250-$400 with no points for a first violation when the violation is based on the camera-based evidence, with increasing penalties for repeat offenses;
• Requires suspension of the license of a motorist who has been convicted multiple times of violating Section 1174;
• Makes it a crime of aggravated assault when a motorist injures another individual as a result of illegally passing a stopped school bus;
• Makes it a crime of criminally negligent homicide, a class E felony, when a motorist takes the life of another individual as a result of illegally passing a stopped school bus and assault in the 3^rd degree, also a class E felony, if injury to another person is caused;
• Establishes a School Bus Safety Education Program fund derived from fines collected from violations of Section 1174 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law.

Members of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation joined with manufacturers and distributors of Stop Arm camera technology and equipment in Albany to demonstrate the equipment and to view and share footage of motorists being filmed while passing school buses.

The hearing was convened to look into the installation of ignition interlock devices on school buses as a reaction to the multiple DWI arrests of school bus drivers — in this case on Long Island.

NYAPT joined several other organizations as well as Melissa Escudero (the mom of a child who was a rider on one of the DWI-affected buses) and Brendan Ahearn, and Assistant Nassau County District Attorney.  The hearing also included representatives from the NY School Bus Contractors Association and representatives of the NYS School Boards Association and the interlock manufacturer community.

The statement offered by NYAPT Executive Director, Peter Mannella, and NYAPT President, Richard Gallagher, included the following specific recommendations to the Senate panel:

Recommended Actions Related to Observation and Detection
>>Require that all school bus drivers, including those who drive buses with a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds be subject to random drug and alcohol testing
>>Provide further definition of the practice of daily observation to ensure that each driver is observed at least once per day, preferably prior to the commencement of each run
>>Increase the random alcohol testing Annual Percentage Rate for school bus drivers to 100% of the drivers on the roster of each operator;
>>Provide regular opportunities for school transportation managers to participate in ‘reasonable suspicion’ and ‘supervisory awareness’ training

Recommendations to Discipline and Penalties
>>Provide that a school bus carrier (school or private contractors) may, without further cause, remove from employment as a school bus driver any individual who tests positive on a valid drug or alcohol test
>>Require that positive drug or alcohol test results be reported to DMV and recorded on the driver’s abstract
>>Provide that individuals charged with driving a school bus while intoxicated be further charged with one appropriate felony count for each person riding on the school bus pursuant to the provisions of Leandra’s Law

Recommendations for Areas Needing School Board Action
>>Allow school districts to implement practices related to the frequency and nature of driver observations and drug/alcohol testing that exceeds federal or state minimum requirements, provided that such practices are carried out in accordance with a duly adopted policy of the local school board
>>In districts where “park-outs” are necessary for operational reasons, require adoption of school board policies to address procedures for observing school bus drivers who are not present at the transportation facility/office at the time of their departure with a school bus

The Senators and Assemblymen who participated in the hearing had many questions about school bus operations, drug testing, driver physicals, training and supervision as well as practices among school bus operations.  Some of the more common points raised included the concept of “zero tolerance” where drivers would need to test at “0%” on a random test and making disqualification for driving a school bus while DWI a permanent disqualification. There was also discussion about extending drug and alcohol testing to other important staff members including mechanics and dispatchers.  The Legislators were extremely interested in the opposition of the school bus industry to the ignition interlocks but were also interested in the alternative approaches the industry presented to improve and strengthen the process.

NYAPT expects that a significant piece of school bus driver safety legislation will be generated out of the comments and recommendations made during the hearing.

The hearing will be held on May 2nd at SUNY Farmingdale in Farmingdale, NY, and will be chaired by Senate Transportation Committee Chair Charles Fuschillo.  The hearing is prompted by the series of DWI arrests that occured in the Long Island, NY, area in the Fall of 2012.  Local officials and others called for enactment of a bill proposed by Niagara County area Senator George Maziarz that mandates the installation and use of the interlock devices on all school buses.

NYAPT will state its opposition to the legislation under consideration in the State Legislature on the basis of costs, operational concerns, reliability and the belief that the interlocks are an unnecessary response to the situations from late 2012.  NYAPT will outline its own proposals that would strengthen drug/alcohol testing regimens, increase requirements for supervisory observation of school bus drivers and disciplinary actions that can be taken against drivers who test positive on random drug and alcohol tests.

NYAPT will explain the rigorous training, testing and monitoring that face school bus drivers in order to be hired and retain their employment.  NYAPT will also attest to the record of dedicated and safety-conscious work of the more than 50,000 school bus drivers in the state, and its concern that the three incidents in the Fall have tarnished the reputations of those excellent and dedicated drives.

CLICK HERE for a copy of the NYAPT Statement that will be shared at the hearing of the Transportation Committee hearing on May 2nd.

On Thursday, April 18, 2013, local police officers, sheriff patrols and State Police officers will monitor traffic around school buses and specifically be on the alert for motorists who are illegally passing those school buses.   Their monitoring efforts will focus on bus stops in areas that local school officials indicate have been problem spots for their school buses.  This program is conducted by NYAPT and the school transportation community in cooperation with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

The issue of illegal passing of school buses by motorists is one that presents significant risk of injury and harm to our children.  The New York Association for Pupil Transportation joins all who care about school bus safety and the safety of our children in deploring illegal passing and in striving to eliminate it in New York State.

Yellow school buses in New York transport 2.3 Million children to and from school each day.  It is the goal of the pupil transportation community in our state to ensure that each and every child has a safe ride to school and back home every day.  We take great pride in the amazing safety record we have achieved in our work transporting our children.  That safety record does not happen because of luck or happenstance.  It is achieved because of hard work, diligence, attention to detail and a commitment by our school transportation
teams to safety at all levels.

We observe April 18^th as OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY because the critical problem of illegal passing remains unsolved and places our children at risk each and every day as they go to school.  As recently as February 13, 2013, a child in New York State was struck by a vehicle that had passed the yellow school bus that had stopped to bring him to school that day.

Everyone in the school transportation community is concerned about the continuing high levels of illegal passing of stopped school buses by the motoring public.  We estimate that some 50,000 motorists will pass a stopped school bus on any given school day in New York State.  It’s important, however, to understand some of the numbers:

>>>In pilot projects that we conducted with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee that used on-board digital cameras, we experienced rates of passing that were as high as 80,000 passes per day.

>>>In a recent survey of our members in late March and early April, school bus drivers reported over 1,400 random incidents of illegal passing including 26 passes on the passenger or right side of the school bus.  Each and every one of those passes was a moment at which a young child could have been struck and either injured seriously or killed by the vehicle.

>>>In the past several years on OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY, a daily average of 1,300 tickets were written by local and State Police for illegal passing of school buses.

Regardless of the volume of passes from year-to-year, the problem continues to place our children at great risk of injury and death and it needs to be addressed.

Through events like OPERATION SAFE STOP, the New York Association for Pupil Transportation joins with law enforcement and all in the pupil transportation community to call on motorists to remember to STOP for our children.

Here is what the law provides:  that every motorist stop for a school bus that is stopped and has its red flashing lights engaged, indicating it is either picking up or dropping off children.  Failure to stop for those red lights can result in fines ranging from $250-$400 for the first violation, five points on the registered motorists license and even imprisonment!  Despite these fines, the problem continues!

Police agencies and local school districts will observe OPERATION SAFE STOP all across New York on April 18, 2013.  We need to support of parents and motorists in every community to help eliminate illegal passing and to protect our school children!

NYAPT will participate in two events relating to OPERATION SAFE STOP this week:

• “Launch” presentation announcing OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY to be held in conjunction with the Nassau County/Suffolk County
  Joint NYAPT Meeting.  That meeting will be held at 11:45 AM at The Woodlands at 1 Southwoods Road, Woodbury, New York.
• Presentation about OPERATION SAFE STOP at the annual School Bus Driver of the Year event at 11:00 AM at the Ulster
  County Law Enforcement Center on Route 32 (Boulevard) in Kingston, New York.  The Ulster County Traffic Safety Advisory Board and the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board offer this significant award each year in partnership with the Mid-Hudson NYAPT Chapter.

CLICK HERE FOR A PAPER SUMMARIZING THE ISSUE OF ILLEGAL PASSING.

The position is for an Associate Router for Pupil Transportation.  CLICK HERE for additional details and compensation information.

ATTENTION:  The DEADLINE is April 22, 2013!

The NRA report makes numerous findings and recommendations about how to better construct and protect schools and also makes recommendations on the arming and training of school personnel in the use of weapons and physical force.  The report also includes recommendations regarding school buses and school transportation.  These include among several others:

• staggering buses to allow for emergency egress;
• segregate bus loading/unloading areas from general parking areas;
• parking school buses in such a way as to minimize the need for them to back up from the parking spot;
• positioning buses in a single row or lane so that the do not block one another in the event that egress is needed;
• increasing general supervision of the loading and unloading process in the school yard;
• utiliziing surveillance cameras where possible or necessary particularly at loading/unloading areas;
• installing surveillance cameras on the inside of school buses to enhance deterrence and detection.

A copy of the entire report is posted on the Resources page of our website.  Most of the school bus findings are on pages 58-62 of the Best Practices Guidelines contained in Appendix A of the report.

Hats off to Robert Sambo (Long Beach), Sophie Copispodo (Lawrence), Michael Sgambati (Hewlett-Woodmere), and Janet Meltzer (Oceanside) who were all quoted in the piece!  Good work all!

CLICK HERE for a link to the article!

NOTE that the deadline for applications is March 31, 2013—this weekend—per the district’s notice.

CLICK HERE for a copy of the Job Notice from the school district.

The Senate will vote on the bills on Wednesday and the Assembly on Thursday according to current plans announced by each house.  Additional details on appropriations levels and other elements of the budget will  be posted on Monday morning, March 25th.

The final budget which will be presented for adoption this week includes the following results for which NYAPT has been supportive:

1. Appropriated funds for Transportation Aid that reflect prior year expenses by school districts;

2. Continued appropriation of $400,000 for the Comprehensive School Bus Driver Training program at the Education Department;

3. Extended the authority for leasing school buses for five years through.

It also contains the following results that NYAPT had opposed:

• The budget does NOT contain provisions that offer financial incentives for school districts that save money by opting to move to contract-based operations.