The bus crash that killed two Houston students last year might have been the result of inferior repairs to a bridge guard rail. According to a NTSB report, it was not the first accident at this site and those previous repairs were called inferior. The report found that the Texas Department of Transportation reused bolts after a previous accident in the same spot where the bus careened over the edge of the 610 and dropped to the road below. The previous severe impact resulted in significant damage to the concrete parapet and the anchor bolts. The NTSA saw that the bolts that were bent over by that previous impact were then bent back and reused rather than being replaced. Additionally, repair mortar had been used to patch spalls at the posts due to the impact, which was inferior in overall quality to the original concrete, significantly increasing the corrosion potential for the embedded steel. The findings have forced TxDOT to change the repair procedure for damaged rails.
Seventh-grader Harold Espinoza left quite an impression on Justin Schaefer, a Hillsborough County school bus driver who has kept a keen eye on the 13-year-old since last year. “He said, ‘It’s funny. Some kids have asked me why I’m so nice to you,’ ” Schaefer said. “And I told them, ‘It’s because I think something good will happen.’ ” The driver noted that he’s felt compelled to report some students’ bad behavior to school officials. Schaefer surprised Harold with $260 worth of gift cards for the boy’s outstanding behavior during his day-to-day bus ride. Good conduct is not the norm on Schaefer’s bus. “The route I drive is what one might classify as a rough route,” said Schaefer. “But Harold is consistently respectful and never partakes in any clowning around.”
A Florida school bus driver is in hot water after being accused of watching videos while operating the vehicle. This possible case of distracted driving has been caught on camera. “The kids are in the back talking about the fact she’s watching TV while driving,” said one parent. “I mean, to me, that’s insane.” Students have found that the incident was “really dangerous” because of the risk of a crash, and have claimed that this isn’t the first time the bus driver has been caught doing this, the driver often seen watching videos, even going to social media apps. Once, this behavior resulted in the driver running a red light. The Lee County School District have a policy on the books that states that drivers are not allowed to use cell phones unless it is an emergency. The bus driver in question has been removed from driving the route during the investigation.
A special needs child was abandoned on a school bus in Maize, Kansas. The investigation is attempting to learn the length of time the child left was on the bus. The child emerged just fine, the school district apologizing for the malfeasance. The elementary-school-aged child was found on a Goddard school bus a couple of hours after the student was supposed to have been taken to Vermillion Elementary School in the morning to attend a summer program with the Sedgwick County Area Educational Services Interlocal Cooperative.
