Physical Performance Standards for School Bus …

1 1 Physical Performance Standards for School Bus Drivers Transportation Advisory Group 2 Physical Standards Committee Members Eric Eaker - Chairperson Di rector of Trans portation Lincoln County Schools Al Mi ll er Executive Director of Transportation Cumberland County Schools Derek Graham Section Chief Transportation Services North Carol ina Department of Public Instruction Don Johnson Former School Bus and Traffic Safety Section Manager North Carol ina Division of Motor Vehicles Scott Denton Executive Director of Transportation Durham County Schools Will Thomas Di rector of Trans portation McDowell County Schools 3 Purpose: Physical Performance Standards as a Requirement. In the pages that follow you will find processes, procedu res, and Physical perfor mance Standards that will be part of the requiremen ts to become a North Carolina School bus driver.

2 Guidelines All School bus drivers must pass the Physical perfor mance Standards test to demonstrate the ir Physical ability to operate the School bus and to carry out the evacuation of students. Any c er tif ied School bus driver must at all times, while holding a valid School b us certification, meet the Physical perfor mance Standards . The following criteria apply to all North Carolina School bus driver s: A. The School bus dri ver must meet Federal Mot or Carrier Safety Regulations vision Standards (49 )): Visual Acui ty- at least 2 0/ 40 f or each eye and both eyes together, with or without corrective lenses Field of Vision- at least 70 degrees in each eye Color Vision- demonstrated ability to distinguish colors that pertain to dri ving and t raffi c control. B. The School bus dri ver must be able, without difficulty or restrictions, to scan the roadway a nd mirrors for potential hazards and problems.

3 C. The School bus driver must be able to communicate with all passengers and give oral w arnings or instructions quickly, loudly if necessar y, while maintaining c ontrol of the bus. D. The School bus driver must be able to exer cise good ju dgment and react quickly in any adverse situation. E. The School bus dri ver must be able to mai nt ain control of both the bus and the passengers under normal a nd adver se circumstances. 4 F. The School bus driver must be able, during practice dri lls or an a ctual emergency situation, to condu ct an evacuation of the bus and get the passengers to a place of safety. An evacuation may necessitate the dri ver s carrying or dragging passengers as well as quickly and repeatedly exiting and entering t he bus. Nor th Carolina School bus drivers must take and pass the Physical Perfor mance Stan dard Test (PPST).

4 Physical Perfor mance Standards are a measure o f the driver s ability to ful fill the respo nsibil ities of his or her job. We can never forget that at any time the passengers of the School bus may be children ages fr om thr ee to twenty-one years o f age, with a variety of special needs. The PPST will be used to evaluate the ability of an individual to meet the Physical de mands o f co nduct ing an emergency evacuation of a School bus and of driving, handling, and maneuvering a School b us safel y. A driver s failure to fulfill any requirement of the PPST will result in no issuance or immediate loss of the School bus ce rtificat ion. PPST IMPLEMENTATION CRITERIA AND DATES The PPST is used as p art of the ini ti al, renewal, or post certification process. Once a School bus driver has passed t he PPST, he or she will be required to take it again every renewal and/or as reque sted by t he School transpo rtation repres entative.

5 The effective date for t his propos al f or all new School bus driver c andidates and all sc ho ol bus certification renewals i s to be det er mined. 5 A. New Drivers New dr iv ers en teri ng or participating in the School bus driver s training program will be required to take and pass the PPST. The PPST will be admini st ered and all requirements of the PPST met prior to recei ving certification. No new candidate w ho fails the PPST or any one of th e individual Standards will be allowed to complete a School bus driver class until he or she has retaken t he PPST a nd passed all t he Standards . Only one retest per student will be administered for each School bus driver class for a maximum of two attempts per class. B. Certified School Bus Drivers A cer tif ied School bus driver, w ho fai ls any one of the required Standards as part of the renewal process or because of a request by a School transpo rtation repres entative, will not be allowed to dri ve and their School bus certification will be suspended, effe ctive immediatel y.

6 A driver will be allowed to retest a maximum of two times should t hey fail. The retest will be scheduled by t he Driver Education Program Special is t (DEPS). All renewals conducted prior to the impl ementation date will not be subjec t to the PPST. All renewals c onducted on or after t he implementation date will be subjec t to the PPST. A renewal m ay be conducted a maximum of 180 days prior to the expiration o f the School bus certification. BUSES USED FOR THE PPST The PPST should be conduct ed on t he largest capacity (mini mum capacity 66 passenger) School bus assigned to that LEA. I f the School is not part of an LEA (charter, parochial, private, head start), the test must be admini st ered on the largest bus assigned to that sc hool. WHO ADMINISTERS THE PPST Only a School Bus and Traffic Safety representative (DEPS) is authoriz ed to administer t he PPST.

7 PPST RECORDS KEEPING Driver Education Program Spec ial ists will be respon sible for any written documentation and PPST test for ms. Aft er the test administrator has completed and signed the PPST score sheet, he or s he must make two photoc opies of the document: one c opy must be gi ven to the dri ver and t he other copy must be gi ven to the local School System Representative. T he original must be put in t he dri ver s permanent folder at the DEPS s office. 6 Physical Perfor mance Standards STANDARD 1: Beginning at the passenger door of the bu s, the dri ver must walk around the School bus, as to simulate a pr e- trip inspe ction, and return to the passenger door. The dri ver will then demonstrate the ability to compl et ely ascend and descend the bus steps three times. All aspects of Sta ndard 1 must be done within 75 seconds.

8 PURPOSE: Standard 1 evaluates the ability of the dri ver to enter and exit the vehicle effectively. Beginning and ending t heir route is not t he only time that drivers must ascend and descend t he bus steps. They m ay al so be required to perform this act ion to check for st udents around t he bus, to operate a wheelchair lift, or to assist a child outside the bus. They will be required t o perform t he a cti on m ul tiple times when evacuating children during practice drills or in an actual emergency. DRIVER INSTRUCTIONS: Before starting the test, the test administrator will explain to the dri ver t hat he or she must walk around t he bus must have both hands in contact with the h andrail(s). However t he ar ms must n ot be straight or used for support unless the driver starts to slip or f al l, must n ot use his or her hands to pick up a leg, must n ot jump or skip over a step while ascending or descending, must tu rn a round at the t op of the steps ( , must not attempt to descend t he steps backwards), must a lt ernate feet as he or s he ascends a nd descen ds the steps, must have only one foot on a step at any given time.

9 7 TEST PROCEDURE: 1. T he test begins with the dri ver standing on the ground, facing t he st ep s. The test administrator will gi ve the dri ver t he st art command. 2. T he test admini strator will activ ate the st opwatch on t he dri ver s first movement. 3. T he dri ver will make one f ull circle around t he bu s, returning to the entrance door. The dri ver will then walk up all of the steps, turn around a t the top of t he steps, walk down to the ground, turn around, and repeat t he ascending and de sc ending task two more times. 4. When t he dri ver has desc ended the steps the third time and has both feet on the ground, t he test administrator will st op the stopwatch and record on t he test sc ore sheet the number of seconds th at have elapsed. 5. If 75 seconds have elapsed and the dri ver has n ot met the standard, t he admini strator must continue timing until the dri ver completes the three repetitions and must record t he number of seconds that the dri ver has taken to compl ete the task.

10 Start Position instructions to the driver for t he remainder o f the test: You must have your seat adjusted so you can depress the brake pedal with your right foot to its fullest extent, both feet must be flat on the floor, your hands must be in the 10 and 2 position on the steering wheel, your seat belt must be faste ned without using a seat belt extender. 8 STANDARD 2: In a properly sea ted position with seat belt fastened, only t he driver s hands may c ontact the steering wheel while making a ha nd-over -hand t ur n. Purpose: Standard 2 ensures the bus can be steered in a hand-over -hand fluid motion without hesitation or obstruction. T he st an dard will ensure a dri ver s capability of st eering the bus to avoid a collision or obstacles in the roadway. Driver In st ruction: Before starting the test, the test administrator will instruct the dri ver t o assume the starting po sit ion and must depres s the brake pedal with right foot to its full est extent and then t he a ccelerator, must th en st art t he bus and t urn t he steering wheel one full turn to the right and return t he wheel to center and then turn t he steering wheel one full turn to the left and return to cente r, must demonstrate hand-over -hand turning without hesitation or obstruction by any part of his or her body.