Legal Focus

There’s a simple way to avoid many risk management claims like worker’s compensation, bus accidents and regulatory citation: Don’t put the wrong worker to work. The “wrong worker,” is anyone who is physically unable or unfit to perform essential job functions. Creating and following a Fitness for Duty program at your company can help you identify workers who should not be behind the wheel, turning a wrench or assisting special needs students in an out of the seat. In doing so, you can prot...

What does the next generation of your company look like? Who will carry on when retirement comes, ready or not! These are the important questions that need to be asked when Succession Planning. Included in this article is information regarding what Succession Planning really is, how to start and the steps you need to take to begin your Succession Planning today

Unauthorized school bus entry is a crime in Pennsylvania. Understanding your rights will help keep your drivers, aides and students safe. This article will provide an overview of Pennsylvania’s unauthorized bus entry statute, 18 Pa.C.S. § 5571, and will provide practical guidance you can share with your drivers.

The 2013 Hours of Service Federal Regulations have been making a buzz in the school bus industry recently and have sparked some important questions and concerns. Are school bus drivers on activity runs required by state or federal laws to keep a Record of on Duty Status (RODS) log? This article will provide an overview of the Hours-of-Service Safety Regulations, the Record of on Duty Status (RODS) log requirement, who is exempted from RODS, and what you as a contractor should do.

Many bus contractors in the last several months have been receiving faxes from what looks to be the Federal Department of Transportation but ... BEWARE! These official looking documents have been identified as fraudulent by the PA Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Transportation. Outlined below are details of the recent fraud attempt and how to protect you and your business from this scam and others.

As a result of divorce or other circumstances, it is likely that a child in your School District resides in two different locations. Are you required to provide transportation to both residencies if they are within your district? The January 7, 2014 case of Watts v. ManheimTwp. Sch. Dist. 2014 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 30; 2014 WL 37878 answered that very question.

Aggressive behavior in children is both common and sometimes dangerous. Are your drivers trained in understanding aggressive behaviors and implementing best practices to calm them down? Outlined in this article are reasons why children may become aggressive, intervention tactics, and your legal rights as a bus contractor.