HCS Transportation Department Ready to Roll for New School Year
Submission
Date: July 28, 2016
Release
Date: For Immediate Release
Contact: J.D. Hardin, 770-957-6601 ext. 161, john.hardin@henry.k12.ga.us
(Release
# 0005-7-16)
HCS Transportation Department Ready to Roll for New
School Year
HENRY COUNTY, GA – Gearing up for the school
year takes on a different meaning for those working in the Henry County Schools
transportation department. Upon
completion of the last day of school from the previous school year, mechanics
and other transportation personnel go to work to prep the buses for the miles
to be driven and precious cargo to be delivered once the calendar reaches
August again.
With over 300 buses in the fleet, maintaining
a smooth-running operation is no easy task, but Director Cliff Shearouse and
Assistant Director Murry Chambers, along with their hard-working department do
a phenomenal job of providing transportation services to at least 23,000 students
each day.
During the summer months, the department
responsible for the start and end of the school day for many kids is busy
completing inspections, testing and setting routes, and communicating schedules
to families across the district.
The drivers hold an annual “Welcome Back”
convocation at the end of July to review important information and provide
rewards to a few lucky drivers.
This year’s convocation saw 12 brand new
buses given away to drivers that were eligible due to not having missed a day
of work all year during the 2015-2016 school year.
“We had close to twenty-five percent of our
drivers who did not miss a single day of work last year,” said Shearouse. “These drivers were eligible to win one of
the new buses, and twelve of our drivers walked away with a new set of keys.”
The buses were purchased with approved
E-SPLOST funds and help replace some of the older buses in the school system’s
fleet. Some older buses are used as
back-ups, while the oldest of the buses are sold during surplus auctions. Drivers will also have the chance at a new
bus later in the year thanks to Georgia’s Bonds for Buses program. The funds for this program comes from the
state’s selling of bonds and the funds collected distributed to school systems
to help purchase new buses for their fleets.
In addition to new wheels, the transportation
department focuses on new training and fresh information pertaining to bus,
student, and motorist safety.
Each year, there are more and more vehicles
on the road as the county’s population grows.
With an increase in the number of students utilizing the school system’s
transportation, it is critically important that motorists recognize and use
extreme caution when traveling near a yellow bus.
One of the biggest hazards and greatest
causes for injury to students is that of motorists illegally passing school
buses stopped to pick up or drop off students.
Henry County Schools will continue to use its
stop-arm cameras on buses throughout the county to record the instances of
illegal activity. Those videos are then
turned over to law enforcement officials to determine if a motorist illegally
passed a school bus according to Georgia law.
Redflex Student Guardian provides the cameras to the system to help
capture those who pose great risks to students looking for a safe ride to and
from school.
Since 2012, cameras on Henry County Schools’
buses have assisted law enforcement officials in issuing almost 2,000 tickets
to motorists caught in the act of illegally passing a school bus. Nearly 500 were issued last school year
alone. Each fine can carry a $300
penalty.
“The bottom line is that we should not have
to worry about cars passing buses illegally,” said Shearouse, “but we do and it
is unfortunate that there are those who do not think about the gravity of what
could happen by their reckless behavior.
One student injured or killed is one too many. It is not worth the little bit of time it
takes for a bus to complete its loading or drop-off to risk injuring anyone by
illegally passing a school bus.”
Shearouse notes that cars should always slow
down as soon as the yellow or amber-colored flashers are engaged on the bus and
be prepared to stop as soon as the red flashers come on. The only time a car would not have to stop
completely when a bus was picking up or dropping off students would be when a
car was traveling in the opposite direction and there was an unpaved or
concrete median divider between the two opposing sides of the road.
“Even if there are four lanes and there is a
turning lane in the middle of those lanes, cars in all directions must stop for
the bus.”
The Henry County Schools transportation staff
is ready for the new school year to start, and students will soon get to meet
their bus driver for the year.
Department officials also encourage families to adhere to the rules of
being at the bus stop on time so as to not delay the rest of the scheduled
stops. Students should be far enough
back from the road but visible to the driver upon approach. Routes and pick-up times can be found online.
Additionally, a handy tool for those wishing
to know the status of routes can be found through the transportation department’s
website. This involves text messages
alerting students and families to any possible delays.
“The first few weeks of school always lead to
many more cars on the road than what is normal, and this can cause some slight
delays with buses. Our texting system
can assist in letting parents and guardians know when a bus might be running a
little bit behind.
For more information on Henry County Schools
and its transportation department, please visit www.henry.k12.ga.us.
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