Several years ago in Marion, school officials used to board buses in the afternoon to buckle up all elementary students, though many students would take them off on the ride home. About 80 percent of Alachua County buses have seat belts. “But beyond that, I would say it (seat belt usage) drops off significantly,” Speer noted. He said one Alachua bus driver, who transports elementary school children, requires all students to wear the seat belts and nearly all the students do comply. James Speer, Alachua County’s director of school district transportation, said enforcing seat belt usage on buses is a challenge. This should be addressed and enforced immediately.” There is a major lack of communication between transportation and the parents. “I was completely unaware of the seat belts,” Burg said. Nancy Burg, a Marion County parent of two teens who ride the bus, said the school district should enforce the seat belt policies. “If one student unbuckles during the ride, is the driver to pull over? This would impact drive times overwhelmingly.” “We can encourage students to use seat belts but the practicality of doing so at 100 percent presents a challenge of getting students to school on-time each morning,” said Kevin Christian, school district spokesman. And if they do initially, it would be difficult for the driver to monitor 70 children to ensure continued compliance. Once a child sits down, there is no guarantee that he or she puts that seat belt on. Punishment for violators would overwhelm already understaffed discipline offices at schools, Marion officials said.Īnother problem is that seats on school buses have high backs, which are padded to protect the children. By high school, usage is basically non-existent. By middle school, students are more defiant. Transportation officials say more elementary school children will follow the seat belt protocol if asked. Policy says students “shall” wear seatbelts, but enforcement is difficult. “We need the parents to help us educate their children about the importance of wearing their seat belt when they get on the school bus each morning,” said Becky Rora, who oversees bus transportation for Marion County Public Schools. Marion school transportation officials say they are considering ramping up an awareness campaign to encourage more of the 26,000 riders to wear seat belts. While that high percentage might make parents feel better in light of last week’s horrific bus accident that killed six children in Chattanooga, Tennessee, school district officials say that few students, especially the older ones, actually strap in on a regular basis. And that number will continue to rise each year as the school district replaces older buses. Eight out of every 10 school buses in Marion County have seat belts, a rate four times higher than the national average.
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