Akron City Schools
Bylaws & Policies
 

8600.04 - BUS/VAN DRIVER CERTIFICATION

 It is the policy of the Board of Education that all bus and van drivers obtain and hold proper certification under standards drivers established within the Ohio Revised Code. It is also the purpose of this Board to protect its students from drivers whose certification is invalidated by the Ohio Point Law or point standards of this District.

A copy of each new school bus and van driver's complete driving record must be obtained from the Ohio Department of Education prior to allowing the driver to operate a school bus or school van for the first time. In accordance with State transportation regulations, the Superintendent shall request the administrator in charge of transportation to conduct at least a semi-annual review of each school bus or van driver's (i.e., current bus drivers and those newly hired bus drivers who remain employed with the Board) driving record through the Ohio Department of Education to determine that such drivers have:

 A.no more than two (2) points within the last twenty-four (24) month period;
 B.not been convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or a controlled substance during the past six (6) years (i.e., not been convicted of a violation of R.C. 4511.19);
 C.not received two (2) (or more) of the following serious traffic violations as defined in R.C. 4506.01(DD)(1) through (DD)(7) during the last twenty-four (24) month period:
  1.a single charge of any speed in excess of the posted speed limit by fifteen (15) miles per hour or more;
  2.violation of R.C. 4511.20 (i.e., operation in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property) or R.C. 4511.201 (i.e., operation off street or highway in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property) or any similar ordinance or resolution, or of any similar law of another state or political subdivision of another state;
  3.violation of a law of this State or an ordinance or resolution relating to traffic control, other than a parking violation, or of any similar law of another state or political subdivision of another state, that results in a fatal accident;
  4.violation of R.C. 4506.03 (i.e., commercial driver's license or temporary instruction requirements) or a substantially similar municipal ordinance or county or township resolution, or of any similar law of another state or political subdivision of another state, that involves the operation of a commercial motor vehicle without a valid commercial driver's license with the proper class or endorsement for the specific vehicle group being operated for the passengers or type of cargo being transported;
  5.violation of R.C. 4506.03 (i.e., commercial driver's license or temporary instruction requirements) or a substantially similar municipal ordinance or county or township resolution, or of any similar law of another state or political subdivision of another state, that involves the operation of a commercial motor vehicle without a valid commercial driver's license being in the person's possession;
  6.violation of R.C. 4511.33 (i.e., driving in marked lanes) or R.C. 4511.34 (i.e., space between moving vehicles) or any municipal ordinance or county or township resolution substantially similar to either of those sections, or any substantially similar law of another state or political subdivision of another state;
  7.violation of any other law of this State or ordinance or resolution relating to traffic control, other than a parking violation, that is determined to be a serious traffic violation by the United States Secretary of Transportation and the Director designates such by rule;
 D.no railroad crossing violations during the last year (i.e., twelve (12) month period);
 E.not received any violations that render the bus driver uninsurable by the District's Fleet Insurance Carrier.

The records obtained from the bi-annual records check will be maintained for a minimum of six (6) years.

A driver having any of the above-referenced violations will be disqualified from operating a bus or van. The driver will also be notified that his/her certification will be reviewed by the Superintendent and his/her employment as a school bus or van driver may be terminated.

A bus or van driver involved in a preventable school bus accident, or judged guilty of a minor traffic violation, or found to have violated a civil traffic ordinance or law shall be subject to the disciplinary action established in the Superintendent's administrative guidelines, up to and including paying the amount of the ticket/violation for speeding or other traffic violations during which s/he was driving a school owned vehicle. Further, no driver who is convicted of a traffic violation or has his/her commercial driver's license (CDL) suspended will be permitted to operate a school bus or school van until the driver files a written notice of the conviction or suspension. Such written notice must be immediately filed with the Superintendent or administrator in charge of transportation, irrespective of whether the traffic violation occurred while operating a Board-owned vehicle or a private vehicle or during school or non-school hours. Failure to file the required written notice of conviction or suspension will result in the revocation of the driver's certificate and/or disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

If a school bus driver has an interruption in driving a school bus or school van for a period of one (1) year or longer, s/he will not be permitted to resume operating a school bus or school van until a copy of the school bus driver's complete driving record has been obtained and the driver successfully completes the Ohio Department of Education Pre-Service driver certification or re-certification training.

In addition to the required driving record check, the administrator in charge of transportation shall obtain a satisfactory BCII and FBI background check report prior to hiring an individual as a new school bus or school van driver. An updated, satisfactory BCII and FBI background check report shall be obtained for each school bus driver every six (6) years upon driver re-certification. Satisfactory shall be defined by the same similar standards applied to other public school employees. Such records shall also be maintained for a minimum of six (6) years (see Policy 4121 for criminal history record check requirements).

No driver will be permitted to drive a school bus or school van unless s/he meets all other requirements contained in the rules adopted by the Ohio Department of Education prescribing qualifications of drivers of school buses and other student transportation. In addition, no driver will be permitted to drive a school bus or school van unless:

 A.information pertaining to the driver has been submitted to the Ohio Department of Education, including the name of the Board, name of the bus driver, driver license number, date of birth, date of hire, status of physical evaluation and status of training; and
 B.a criminal records check, including information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has been completed and received by the Superintendent.

R.C. 3327.10, 3327.01 et seq., 4511.01(F), 4511.75 et seq.
A.C. 3301-51-10, 3301-83-01 et seq., 3301-83-05, 3301-83-06
A.C. 3301-83-07

Revised 5/27/08