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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.
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 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 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 Training - Information on On-line Training,KSDE Training Portal, Medic First Aid, AAA Defensive Driving Instructors & other training videos
School Transportation Unit Keith Dreiling, State Director 785-296-4567 785-296-6659 (fax) kdreiling@ksde.org
School Transportation Public Service Administrator Dennis Tate 785-296-4545 dtate@ksde.org
School Transportation Public Service Administrator Melissa Ostermeyer 785-296-5659 mostermeyer@ksde.org
The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.