School District's Transportation Dept. Keeps Busy During the Summer

Submitted by Valley View School District 365U

Photo: In preparation for the coming school year, VVSD mechanic Dave Harris checks the underside of a school bus.

When Valley View School District 365U buses take to the streets next Monday and Tuesday for their “mock school days” in preparation for the first day of classes on Aug. 19, it will be the culmination of months of preparation on behalf of the Transportation Department team.

“Most people assume because students aren’t in school during the summer that we have nothing to do,” said VVSD Director of Transportation Dave Richards. “In reality summer is our busiest time of the year.”

That’s because each one of the school district’s buses has to be checked thoroughly to make sure they’re ready to go for the new school year. Everything from brooms and dust pans to first aid kits, radios, GPS systems and cameras must be in excellent working condition. The buses themselves have to go through a safety lane checkup and be repaired, if necessary, by members of Transportation’s outstanding 7-person team of mechanics.

And, once the VVSD Technology Department’s computers officially promote students to the next grade level July 1, the Transportation Department begins its arduous task of placing each child on a bus route.

“We have to take 10,000-plus kids off the bus and then put all 10,000-plus kids back on a bus,” Richards said, pointing out while his department’s computers are a big help, the human touch is still necessary to finish the job. “We literally go through all 900 bus routes in July.”

In the last week or so, VVSD bus drivers began making sure their individual vehicles were equipped properly. Plus they’re in the process of reviewing all of the school district, state and federal safety regulations with which they must conform.

“The amount of training they have to go through just to keep up with Valley View policies is tremendous. Never mind state and federal rules too,” Richards said. “Plus they have to take a refresher course and pass a physical every year to maintain their CDL (Commercial Drivers License).”

VVSD is widely recognized as being on the cutting edge when it comes to transportation planning. One of the first school districts in the state to install seat belts and shoulder harnesses on every bus, VVSD is also proud of the Transportation Department’s ability to quickly react to just about anything thrown their way.

Not only are drivers Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certified, but they are also trained to anticipate just about any type of problem that could erupt on a bus.

Thanks to computer-based GPS systems, cameras and radios on every bus, the VVSD Transportation Center is aware of where every bus is located and what, if anything is happening on that bus. In the event of a problem, backup buses are staged in several Bolingbrook and Romeoville locations during morning and afternoon “rush hours” just in case they’re needed.

“If we have a problem or a breakdown, we can have a new bus there in minutes,” Richards said.

Local residents may have noticed buses on the streets already. That’s because drivers have begun “dry runs” to make sure the route directions and timing of the routes are correct.”

Next week’s “mock school days” will include morning and afternoon stops at every stop, waiting the prescribed time and moving on.

“Our number one goal is to make sure VVSD children have the safest, most comfortable rides possible,” Richards said. “We’ve worked all summer to prepare everything. We’re ready to go.”