Oct. 22, 2021 — Chardon Local Schools and the surrounding community joined other schools and communities to recognize National School Bus Safety Week (Oct. 18-22). National School Bus Safety Week is hosted by three nationwide associations: NAPT (National Association for Pupil Transportation), NSTA (National School Transportation Association), and NASDPTS (National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services).
The theme this year is 1 Bus + 1 Driver = a BIG Impact on Education. School bus safety is the first priority. Ohio law requires motorists to stop clear of the school bus until the bus driver cancels the red lights and the bus begins to move.
To raise bus safety awareness, the Chardon Transportation department posted bus safety rules on the district’s three social media platforms each day of National School Bus Safety Week, sharing both bullet points and diagrams of important reminders for students, their families and motorists. The bus safety information can also be found on the district's Transportation webpage.
“While we always need other motorists to also do their part, we equally hold our bus drivers to an utmost high standard of safety in the transportation of students,” said district business affairs supervisor Adam Tomco. “As part of our measures to track safety, the district uses the Samsara safety rating to manage and monitor fleet operations. One monitoring component is a driver and fleet safety rating. Since the start of the 2021-22 school year, our valued team of 33 drivers has had an exceptionally high safety score — 96 out of 100."
The Chardon Transportation department currently operates 40 vehicles in its fleet and employs a total of 33 staff members, including 26 drivers, five aides and two mechanics. On each school day, Chardon buses drive 1,100 miles in total — spanning 28 routes for the transportation of approximately 1,100 students. This does not factor in mid-day runs for field trips nor after-school extracurricular activities.
While safety will always be the department’s number one priority, in other news the efficiency of the department's day-to-day operations continues to be impacted by the national bus driver shortage. The district has been advertising job openings for the department for more than a year. For more information about transportation department employment opportunities, please call Mr. Tomco at 440-285-4069 or visit the Employment page on the district website.
#WeAreChardon
District Media Contact:
Kelly Misch
Communications Director
Chardon Local Schools