However, he notes that if a student actually displays a weapon, the driver uses plain language – not a code – over the radio to describe the situation. Law enforcement is then sent to the scene.
Central Bucks School District’s transportation department has had a panic button installed on the instrument panel of its buses to assist drivers in an emergency. Czyz asks his drivers to contact the transportation office whenever possible in a dangerous situation, but he says that when the drivers press the button, it sends a signal to the dispatcher that there is a problem and then the office staff can, through its GPS, locate the bus and determine the best response based on what the driver can tell them.
To further enhance safety for their drivers and the students they transport, Madison County Schools and Moravia Central School District prohibit their drivers from searching students for weapons or trying to disarm students.
Both Brooks and Dorn agree that this is a good practice. “By trying to search a kid for a weapon, you can push that into a shooting, hostage or a stabbing situation,” Dorn explains. “We normally want the search to be conducted by the police.”
