Paramus School Bus Drivers To Use GPS Units On Field Trips

PARAMUS, NJ — Bus drivers will use GPS units on out-of-district field trips next school year, school officials announced at a public meeting Monday.

The district-issued GPS units are just one the changes enacted regarding school buses and student safety since a fatal school bus crash involving students from East Brook Middle School May 17. A school bus collided with a dump truck during a field trip. Two people, a student and a teacher, died and 43 others on the bus were injured, some critically.

The bus's driver, Hudy Muldrow Sr., missed the exit to Waterloo Village where he was bringing the 38 fifth-graders and and seven adults to, authorities previously said. Muldrow is accused of turning sharply in an attempt to drive across all lanes of traffic to reach an official turn-around point in the median. That is when the bus collided with a dump truck.

All school bus drivers have viewed a defensive driving safety video and driven on a defensive driving course.

Seat belts on school buses are being inspected daily, said Board of Education President William Holzmann. The state requires that seat belts only be inspected once every four months.

The district is revising its requirements for school bus driver applicants following the revelation that Muldrow had his license suspended 14 times, including a suspension in late 2017 and early 2018.

Previously, applicants only had to submit driving abstracts from the previous five years, which is what the state requires. The district is now requiring to see applicants' entire driving history, Holzmann said.

The district will retrofit all school buses with three-point seat belts, and install them on four buses that were recently ordered.

Student Peter Caminiti III, who suffered a serious concussion in the crash, previously said the bus's lap seat belts did not fit properly.

Caminiti III testified before state lawmakers Monday that he woke up from the crash hanging from his seatbelt, NJ.com reported.

"You can't put a price on life," Caminiti testified, according to the report.

The May 17 crash killed teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy and 10-year-old student Miranda Faith Vargas, and injured 43 others, some critically. It's not clear if shoulder seat belts would have reduced the number of injuries.

Muldrow was charged with two counts of death by auto, commonly referred to as vehicular manslaughter.

Related:

• 3-Point Seat Belts Coming To All Paramus School Buses
• Seat Belts Didn't Fit Correctly Before Bus Crash: Student
• Was School Bus Trying To Make Illegal U-Turn Before Rt. 80 Crash?
• Paramus Stands By Handling Of School Bus Driver In Fatal Crash
• Driver Charged In Fatal NJ School Bus Crash: Prosecutor
• Family Of Paramus Student Bus Crash Victim To Sue School District

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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