When the Ventura County, Calif., Grand Jury issued a report this week asking the county Office of Education to start keeping records on school bus accidents, local school districts scoffed at the suggestion.
Conejo Valley, Moorpark and Simi Valley school officials disagree because the California Highway Patrol (CHP) already maintains safety records and statistics on student transportation. They said that it would be wasteful to have another agency charged with overseeing bus safety.
However, the grand jury found that no agency is responsible for tracking school bus accidents in any of the 21 local districts and recommended the Office of Education assume this task.
Conejo Valley Superintendent Jeff Baarstad argued that another report would only burden the county with “a bunch of data.”
“We’ve been downsizing, especially the people who collect data. More bureaucracy isn’t going to make kids any safer,” he told the Thousand Oaks Acorn.
More than 16,000 students ride the school bus in Ventura County. During the 2009–2010 school year, there were 41 school bus–related accidents and four student bus riders were injured.
Baarstad confirmed that, in addition to the CHP’s records, school districts are required to send an annual report to the California Department of Education with the number of students who ride buses and how many miles those buses are driven in the given year.
Yet David Gale, the grand jury foreman, contended that critical safety information was missing from the CHP reports. Even though the CHP tracks school bus crashes, he said officers do not know what district the bus is from and whether the accident occurred during a regular trip to school, a field trip or a sporting event. Gale said this information is important because it could help identify problems and improve bus safety.
Ken Prosser, associate superintendent of fiscal and administrative services at the county Office of Education, said his office does not have the authority to require districts to submit accident data with details like buses’ destinations.
“Information is a good thing because it helps people make informed decisions,” Prosser said. “If there is duplicate effort, there is duplicate cost.”
In its report, the grand jury also issued a recommendation for each school district to post its school bus safety statistics on its website.
All 21 school districts must submit their responses by the end of this month. After that, the grand jury will review the responses, post them online and ask for public comment. The Ventura County Board of Education will ultimately decide whether or not to act on the grand jury’s recommendation.
