The Ohio School Bus Safety Grant Program awarded a total of $10 million across 371 Ohio schools, districts and county boards of developmental disabilities for school buses to upgrade the safety of the existing school buses, as well as add advanced safety features on new buses.
Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen Dackin announced the award for the eligible districts on Jan. 22, and offered 17 recommendations for these districts to enhance the safety of transportation for students and drivers.
DeWine created the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group in August 2023 after a tragedy occurred in Clark County, when a vehicle collided with a Northwestern Local School District bus and killed an 11-year-old boy and injured several other children, according to a 2024 report.
“In most cases, these buses travel back and forth without incident, but when a tragedy occurs, we owe it to parents and the public to determine whether more can be done to keep bus drivers and their passengers safe,” DeWine wrote in the report. “... I asked the group to thoroughly review all aspects related to school bus safety in Ohio, from seat belts to driver licensing to bus design, and to offer recommendations on any improvements that can be made to prevent future tragedies.”
Andy Wilson, Ohio Department of Public Safety director, emphasized in the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group report that the group made sure everyone had a voice at the table to create the recommendations for the safety of students, including bus drivers, government agencies and parents.
The 17 recommendations include annual performance reviews of bus drivers, the creation of wellness programs for drivers, enhanced penalties for those who violate traffic laws around buses and school zones and conducting safety audits.
Many physical safety measures are also recommended to be added to existing buses, including external cameras, crossing arms and lane departure warning systems, which would alert bus drivers when a vehicle has changed lanes without a proper signal.
Dan Phillips, the transportation director for Alexander Local Schools, said they had heard about a safety grant for school buses and applied. Phillips said they want to focus on enhancing the visibility of students while crossing and ensuring students cross streets safely.
Alexander Local School District was awarded $13,630, although Phillips stated they asked for a larger grant. With its funds, they intend to add lighted crossover mirrors to the front of their buses, which would illuminate the front of the bus where the driver has limited sight of children loading and unloading.
The district will not be having any further training for bus drivers, as they received additional training in January to better understand the needs of children in their area and how to interact with them. They will not be adding any more seatbelts to their existing buses, as Phillips explained.
Phillips stated they are very appreciative of this grant, as their main priority is the safety of their kids. However, he would've liked to see more from the state in terms of preventative measures for these school buses.
“I think we should be given more money to outfit, I guess, if that's the word, our buses as we order them, instead of afterward,” Phillips said. “To make them as safe as possible on the ordering instead of having to have a grant later on. More money up front would be good. Funding for buses is not where it needs to be.”
The Berne Union Local School District in Fairfield County was also awarded a grant of $42,516 from the state to enhance its transportation safety features on its existing buses. Angie Barnes, the transportation and maintenance assistant supervisor for Berne Union, said she was happy to receive the money to improve the safety of transportation, as that is the main goal.
Barnes said they are still working through their options for safety features and recommendations, and a priority for them is to have their buses illuminated, for students, bus drivers and others on the road. Barnes said they live in a rural area, and the high school students get picked up in the pitch dark in the morning. She hopes to have these safety features installed by the beginning of the next school year.
As for extra training for bus drivers, Barnes said she has tried to ensure their drivers get the training they need, but the grant money will not likely be used for this. She said the state of Ohio does training at a low cost, and they have scheduled additional training for their bus drivers in March.
“I'm excited that we were granted this money so we can make the upgrade to the buses, because our goal is to keep the students safe,” Barnes said. “That's our job, to get them to and from school safely.”
