OAPSE Monitoring Gov. DeWine’s School Bus Safety Working Group

As OAPSE members are aware, there was a fatal crash involving a school bus three weeks ago. Since then, school bus safety has been a major topic for Governor DeWine and officials across the state. Governor DeWine has since created the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group, a 13-member group tasked with examining school transportation safety and then possibly making recommendations to the Governor and the State legislature.

The School Bus Safety Group met for the first time this week and will continue to meet regularly before the end of the year. Joe Rugola, OAPSE’s Executive Director, will be presenting to this group in a future meeting to make sure OAPSE members’ interests are heard and included in the overall discussion.

OAPSE’s State President, Lois Carson, will be forming an OAPSE Transportation Safety Committee that will consist of members with student transportation experience. This Committee will be chaired by State Vice President Mike Lang, who also serves as Chair of OAPSE’s School Safety Committee. Other members on OAPSE’s Transportation Safety Committee will be Bev Payne from Crestline Exempted Village Schools, Stephanie Wiley from Columbus City Schools, John Sindeldecker from Buckeye Local Schools, Kathy Chamberlain from Preble-Shawnee Local Schools, and OAPSE Executive Director Joe Rugola. President Carson will also serve on the committee. The committee will be staffed by Political and Legislative Director Randy Weston. He will be covering the State’s working group meetings and reviewing any information put out by Governor DeWine or the School Bus Safety Working Group to make sure OAPSE members are kept up to date as these discussions move forward.