Your Opinion: Response to bus wreck editorial

Jason Hoffman

Jefferson City Public Schools CFO/COO

Dear Editor:

Safety is the number one priority of our JCPS transportation service. The News Tribune opinion piece from June 6 asks some important questions, but also gives the impression that there is a choice involved in determining whether to investigate a traffic accident involving a school bus. This could not be further from the truth.

All traffic incidents involving First Student, the district's transportation contractor, are immediately ran through a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to determine contributing factors. This process involves a mechanical inspection post incident, and a review of environmental factors such as rain, road surface, time of day, temperatures, etc. The investigation also includes an analysis of the bus technology such as GPS readings and video evidence. Witness statements from the driver, bus monitor, students (if age appropriate), and other eyewitnesses are also collected when possible.

The Jefferson City Police Department conducted an on-site investigation at the scene of the accident on June 4, and did not issue a citation to either party involved in the accident.

Our district buses drive approximately a million miles annually and transport 4,500 students daily. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, "Each school day, school buses transport nearly 25 million students to and from school. Yet, the yellow school bus remains the safest form of transportation on the roads today. In fact, riding a school bus is 13 times safer than riding in the family vehicle. And students are 70 times more likely to arrive at school alive if they ride the bus versus driving themselves or riding with friends."

We share the opinion of the News Tribune that post-incident investigations are important, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide the facts to parents and community members about our long-standing best practices related to such investigations.