COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday announced more than a dozen people will serve on a group looking into safety on school buses.
DeWine created the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group after an 11-year-old boy was killed and more than 20 students were injured when a school bus collided with another vehicle in Clark County on Aug. 22.
The bus safety group will look into several topics, including:
- School bus regulations
- School bus design, maintenance and inspections
- Driver licensing, certification and training
- School bus safety technology
- Crash risk factors
- Lessons learned from other school bus crashes
- Alternative transportation and associated risks
- School bus seat belts
- Safety of special populations
- Critical incident protocol
"There is always more that can be done when it comes to the safety of children, and I believe we have an obligation to take a holistic look at the safety of our school buses," DeWine said. "This group's review will be thorough, focusing on many different aspects of transportation safety."
Members of the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group include:
- Andy Wilson (Chair) Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety
- Carolyn Everidge-Frey Senior Executive Director, Center for Advancing Professional Supports, Ohio Department of Education
- Dean Fadel President, Ohio Insurance Institute
- Judith French Director, Ohio Department of Insurance
- Paul Imhoff Director of Government Relations, Buckeye Association of School Administrators
- Col. Charles Jones Superintendent, Ohio State Highway Patrol
- Jack Marchbanks Director, Ohio Department of Transportation
- Jessica Mead Parent
- Erin Reed Assistant Policy Director, Office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine
- David Russell School Bus Driver, South Euclid Lyndhurst School District
- Robert Widener President, Ohio School Bus Mechanics Association
- Chris Woolard Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ohio Department of Education
- Jingzhen Yang, MPH, PhD Principal Investigator, Center for Injury Research & Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital
The group will have its first public meeting in September. School bus safety recommendations are expected to be issued before the end of the year.