PARENT INFORMATION
The Esko School District and all their drivers strive to deliver the safest transportation available to all the students and the community they serve. We have developed this safety page to provide you with the most up to date information on school bus safety.
The District is committed to the professional training of its drivers. We annually provide in-service training to our drivers on the topics of defensive driving, student behavior management, winter driving techniques, State and Federal motor vehicle laws, and other related topics.
Our drivers are required by state law to carry a Class B Commercial Drivers License with both school bus and passenger endorsements. Additionally they must pass a DOT physical every two years, retake the school bus endorsement test every time they renew their license and are subject to random drug and alcohol testing.
Our fleet is inspected annually by the Minnesota State Patrol. Each bus must pass a thorough examination before it can be operated on our roads.
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY STATISTICS
There is nothing more important than children's safety in Minnesota. Studies have found that school buses maintain the best safety record of any form of ground transportation. It is nearly 2000 times safer to ride a school bus than any family car.
There are several reasons buses have exemplary safety records. Including:
- Extensive Driver Training (State and Federal Training Regulations)
- Pedestrian Safety Devices (8-Way Light System, Crossing Gates, Strobe Lights)
- Passenger Seating and Crash Protection (Compartmentalization)
- Body Joint Strength (Specially reinforced steel frames are in all school buses)
- Structural Strength of Buses in Rollover Accidents (Buses will hold 1.5 times their weight on the roof.
Accidents are rare because school districts work hard to train drivers to avoid accidents. Operating a fleet of yellow school buses is not an easy task. The Federal government regulates rigid vehicle standards and driver training. The state of Minnesota brings those rules to life with operational standards that go further and govern:
- Training Mandates
- Evacuation Drills
- Safe Ridership Programs
- Loading and Unloading Laws and Procedures
- Vehicle Inspection Standards
- Drug and Alcohol Testing
The familiar yellow school bus has become a symbol of education in American society. Nationally, 418,000 yellow school buses travel more than 4.5 billion miles a year, carrying 24 million children-nearly half of the nation's children safety to and from school. In Minnesota, nearly 11,000 school buses make 234,372,000 trips annually. These buses serve approximately 372 school districts and daily transport 572,250 students safely to and from school. These are impressive numbers, yet few people realize the constant behind -the-scenes effort to make the ride a safe, positive experience for every one of those children.
The superb safety record that school buses hold is the result of constant cooperative efforts. Parents, teachers, drivers, school administrators, transportation managers, bus manufacturers, and state and federal officials all have an important role to play in ensuring a safe ride for Minnesota's Children.
SAFETY INFORMATION FOR PARENTS TO REMEMBER
- The speed in a school zone is 20 mpg.
- To stop when red lights flash, the life you save will be a child.
- To transport your child to school if they miss the bus.
- To keep your child's bus and school information accessible for emergencies.
- To review and support safe bus riding habits/practices with your child.
CLOTHING HAZARDS
In the last few years, there have been several serious student injuries or fatalities in other states due to clothing or backpacks that have drawstrings.
The drawstrings have gotten caught in handrails or the door of the bus, without the driver's knowledge.
Please inspect your child's clothing and backpack to ensure there are no drawstrings or other hanging objects that could get caught as they exit the bus.
FIVE BASIC RULES FOR SAFE RIDING
Parents teach your kids these 5 basic rules:
- Follow the instructions of your bus driver
- Remain seated at all times
- Keep your head and arms inside the bus at all times
- Please no loud talking or boisterous conduct
- Please no eating or drinking on the bus
For a more thorough list of rules please refer to the Bus Safety Expectations and the Student's Job sections of our Transportation Site.
Thank You.