ment. Also, before receiving his or her bus license, each driver must complete 10 hours of local training along with three full days of training by the state. Locally, there is also related professional development provided by the school district along with an annual required recertification class by the state. In all, OCS bus drivers are thoroughly trained in safe driving practices, safe mechanical condition of a bus, emergency procedures, and student management. Safety-minded, well-trained drivers, with love for children, are the most important factors when it comes to the safe transportation of our children! There are also others that support and play a key role in the safe transportation of students: the Oxford Police Department, Oxford Public Works Department, and City Garage. The Oxford Police Department can be seen each morning and afternoon at the major intersections near schools helping to monitor and direct the safe flow of traffic, which allows the safe passage of buses. The police also provide escorts for certain athletic events, as well as assistance in route planning for long trips. When a large number of buses are involved, there is collaboration with other police departments to assist with getting buses safely through major intersections to their destination. One of the threats to student safety is the vehicle that does not stop when the bus stop sign is deployed. This is one of the most significant concerns a bus driver has as students load/unload a bus. Likewise, this concern is shared by the Oxford Police Department. In an effort to both educate and warn drivers, the OPD produced a Public Service Announcement (emphasizing the law as it pertains to the deployed stop sign of a bus, along with the safety risk posed to children by vehicles that do not stop.) This year, during the first two weeks of school, police issued 12 citations to drivers for running a bus stop sign. Our police are serious about keeping students safe on a bus!
Of course, the condition of city roads plays a big part in a bus driver’s ability to safely transport students to and from school. Whether it’s the trimming of limbs from the right of way, smoothing a rough section of road, filling pot holes, or repairing signage, the City of Oxford Public Works Department is quick to respond to issues affecting the roadways traveled by the school buses. To help ensure school buses are safe for transporting students, the State of Alabama requires a monthly inspection of the entire fleet. These inspections are conducted daily by the certified mechanics at the City of Oxford garage. If an issue is identified that prohibits the safe operation of a bus, the mechanics remove it from the fleet until repairs can be made. Also, if a bus breaks down or has other mechanical issues while out on a route or trip, the mechanics are on-call to assist drivers. In addition to the driver and all those providing support contributing to bus safety, the Oxford City Schools student also has an important role to play. In an effort to teach this role early, all three elementary schools held a summer camp for kindergarten students. Among the many things these first-year students learned, bus procedures and safety were taught. Students were taught bus stop safety, loading and unloading procedures, proper bus behavior, seating safety, and other general rules for safely riding a school bus. Drivers, as well as each school, also cover the same topics throughout the year. How are our school buses able to safely transport 450,000 passengers over 420,000 miles a year without an accident? Credit goes to the group of highly trained, professional bus drivers, and the professionals who support them. In all, it’s a group of Oxford citizens who love the children of Oxford and work together daily to ensure “the safest form of student transportation” to school each day is the school bus. #GoBigO
OXFORD ACCESS MAGAZINE | FALL 2019
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