Sharley Maglott, a 10-year bus driver for Fredericktown Local Schools, is always watching out for the potential dangers posed by errant drivers. Now she’s on the alert for flying mattresses too.
“I was on (Ohio) 95 the other day when I was behind a vehicle that had two mattresses tied to the top,” she said. “The mattresses came loose. One flew up and over the top of the bus. The other fell beside the road.”
Because there was no danger to the bus, the story brought chuckles from other drivers sitting in the bus garage recently before leaving for their afternoon routes. It was a lighthearted start to the serious emphasis of National School Bus Safety Week Oct. 21-25.
Each school day nine full-time bus drivers transport more than 500 students across the 83 square miles of Fredericktown Local Schools.
They do it safely and expertly, transportation coordinator Cale Grubb said, “because they care for these children as if they were their own.”
As the country celebrates National School Bus Safety Week, Grubb repeated an all-too-familiar safety concern, one shared by his drivers and school transportation employees across Knox County.
“Too many drivers have become more impatient, more distracted,” he said. “I hope all drivers will put their phones down and pay attention when they approach school buses.”
Across the United States more than 26 million students ride 480,000 buses every school day, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Debbie Ray has driven a Fredericktown bus for 11 years. Earlier, she drove 15 years for the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities program in Wayne County.
“When people see a school bus they want to speed up and get past before the bus stops,” she said. “Maybe they’re running late for work or whatever.”
Kim Fearn, a four-year driver who has the in-town route, agreed.
“Too many drivers want to get ahead of the bus. They don’t want to follow it,” she said.
Flashing yellow lights are an indication to other drivers that the bus is slowing and preparing to stop. Flashing red lights are a warning not to pass.
Each week there are one or two instances when a vehicle passes a stopped Fredericktown bus, its red lights flashing, and its stop sign extended. Each bus is equipped with an exterior camera that captures a photo of the offending vehicle, including its license plate. The bus driver can push a button that allows Grubb to access the photo on his office computer.
Law enforcement takes it from there. In a story published two years ago Mount Vernon Municipal Court officials said a red-light violator would be required to appear in court and face a minimum fine of $100. The fine could be higher after the law director reviewed the case. The Ohio Revised Code permits suspension of a driver’s license, if warranted.
Grubb, who drives a route when needed, said younger drivers in particular need to be more aware.
“Rules about school buses need to be emphasized more strongly in driver education courses,” he said.
Fearn echoed that concern, adding, “Kids, younger drivers, don’t know they are supposed to stop when our red lights are flashing. It should be a bigger part of driver education.”
Joining Ray, Fearn and Maglott as full-time drivers are Tonda Lewis, Mat McFerren, Vicky Nelson, Smaantha Streby, Ashley Warner and Makayle Tenner. There are seven substitute drivers. Mechanic Darien Kelly keeps the fleet running.
In his summary report for the 2023-2024 school year, Grubb noted that drivers also transported students on 425 extracurricular trips in addition to their daily routes.
