School Bus Safety Home Page

The School Bus Safety Unit provides information to schools, contract transportation operations, and patrons in all aspects of safely transporting students to and from school and activities. Oral and written responses to questions and interpretation of school transportation regulations, statutes, and operating procedures and guidelines are provided on a daily basis.

Along with our partners from the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Unit coordinates the annual inspection process for over 11,000 school buses and school vehicles across the state.

The unit provides a variety of programs, workshops, and seminars including Medic First Aid/CPR/AED and the American Automobile Association’s Driver Improvement Program courses; school bus evacuation, school transportation security, and child passenger safety restraint information, just to name a few.

The unit maintains a vast video library of more than 500 titles that may be used by school transportation and driver education programs in Kansas encompassing many aspects of driver safety and training.

A valuable resource for Kansas schools from the School Bus Safety Unit is the KBESS (Kansas Bus Emergency Service System) directory that our staff publishes annually. Information is gathered from school districts and contract transportation operators across the state.

For over 50 years, the School Bus Safety Unit has collected information from all states to publish the National Loading & Unloading Survey. This report has been recognized by the National Association of State Directors for Pupil Transportation Services, the National Association for Pupil Transportation, and the Annual Congress for National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures as a most valuable resource.

Additional Resources

Bus Driver Information - CDL, CLP, Disclosure, Entry Level Training, Physical, Medical Self-Certification, Alchol/Drug and TB Testing Information
Bus/School Vehicle Inspections - Inspection forms, Inspection Guidance Document and Mechanic Letter
Bus Purchasing Program / Bus Sales / Passenger Vehicles - KS Bus Purchasing Program, School Bus Vendors, State Bid Information for Vehicles
CDL - Commercial Drivers License, Commercial Learners Permit, Medical Self-Certification, Status Check
COVID 19 - COVID 19 Information for School Transportation
Crisis Planning - Information and Template for Developing Your School Trainsportation Crisis Plan
District Maps - Links to Kansas school district maps provided by KDOT, Kansas GIS School District Map Lookup
Documents - Hiring Information, Hour Guidance, File Retention, Accident Data & more
Drug & Alcohol Information - FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearing House, Post Accident Flow Chart, Consent Forms
DVD Library - List of current dvd's available & dvd request form
Electric Bus - Information for Electric Buses
Entry Level Driver Training - Information and documentation forms
Forms - Out of District, TB Form, Evacuation, Safety Meeting Roster, Pre-Trip, New Hire Disclosure, Verified Statement & More
Frequently Asked Questions List of over 80 frequently asked questions
Fuel Tax Information - Information on State & Federal Fuel Tax, Ruby Red Diesel
Illegal Passing Information - Links to current and past information on illegal passing of school buses
KBESS (Kansas Bus Emergency Support System) - Links to the current publication and update form
Kansas State Pupil Transportation Associaiton (KSPTA) - Links to KSPTA materials and events
Loading & Unloading Surveys - Links to current and past national loading and unloading surveys
Physical - Physical, Medical Waiver and Medical Self-Certification
Poster Contest - Past and present  school bus safety posters & contest rules
Regulations - Links to Kansas Bus Regulations, Kansas Statutes, Regulation Manual, National Standards Publications
Resources for Positive Behavior & Emergency Safety Intervention Support - Kansas’ Technical Assistance System Network
Safety Materials - Public Service Announcements, Coloring Book, Posters, Power Point
School Safety Phone Numbers - Threats of School Violence, Acts of Bullying, Suicide, Suspicious Activity Report
STOP ON RED KIDS AHEAD CAMPAIGN - Posters, Bumper Sticker, Graphic
Training - Information on On-line Training,KSDE Training Portal, Medic First Aid, AAA Defensive Driving Instructors & other training videos
Transportation Meetings/Forums - Information on annual Fall transportation meetings & forums

School Bus Safety Director
Keith Dreiling
785-296-4567
785-296-6659 (fax)
kdreiling@ksde.org

School Bus Safety Public Service Administrator 
Dennis Tate
785-296-4545
dtate@ksde.org

School Bus Training Coordinator 
Melissa Ostermeyer
785-296-5659
mostermeyer@ksde.org
 

 

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