Schools

District Explains How Bus Drivers are Selected at Forum

Baumann Bus Company representatives and Transportation department representatives explain policies behind determining who drives children to schools in Commack.

Representatives from Acme Bus and Baumann and Sons Buses explained how bus drivers are selected, certified and trained before they are sent out on Commack routes at the transportation forum held on Tuesday at .

Louise F. Colletti, assistant corporate director of safety for Acme Bus and Baumann and Sons Buses, presented the process of selecting bus drivers to a handful of parents.

Colletti said an application is checked several times before an individual is hired as a bus driver. Not only are their personal records checked, but their driving records are checked several times.

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"If they've ever had a DUI, we won't hire them," she said.

Four written tests are required by the New York State Department of Education and then candidates are required to take a road test. Drivers are also trained to work with special needs children as, Colletti said, many students are being mainstreamed onto the bigger buses these days so all drivers need to be prepared.

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Colletti said drivers, once certified, are tested on a yearly basis and they are also randomly tested for drug and alcohol. Additionally, Colletti said individuals from the company also drive behind buses to ensure that they are properly engaging their lights and following all traffic rules. 

Ron Baumann and his sister, Connie, of Acme Bus and Baumann and Sons Buses said Commack was one of the first districts to implement an additional background check, something other districts are now modeling.

Baumann also said that drivers are required to turn in any tickets they may get out of state so that the bus company can report it to the state. The company, Baumann said, is audited by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles once every two or three years and the State Department of Bus Driver Certification Unit keeps files on any and all bus drivers for life – regardless of whether or not they end their career as a bus driver. 

Theresa Burke asked the administrators how bus drivers are instructed to deal with behavioral incidents that may occur on the bus. 

Transportation Director, Nancy Nunziata, explained the entire process to parents. 

"The driver notifies the dispatcher and will pull over if the incident is severe enough. The dispatcher notifies the transportation office – myself or someone else in the office, my cell phone is on all night – and then I will notify the school," Nunziata said. 

If it is a minor incident, Nunziata said, it only gets to the individual school where the students attend. The driver, according to Nunziata and Baumann representatives, must document the report and sent it to the school. The Principals and Deans have gone onto the buses to discuss issues with students, Nunziata said. She has also ridden the busses herself, when the incidents call for it. 

In the end, Nunziata said, bus drivers are not required to handle the discipline of the students, it is up to the school to do so. 


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