school bus safety during coronavirus

school bus safety during coronavirus

School districts struggle to make their reopening plans by next week's deadline, much attention is devoted to keeping students safe, before they even set foot in the classroom.

Newschannel 2's joleen ferris reports.

Before the school day would even start, concerns about the spread of the coronavirus would begin.

The school bus...an enclosed potential incubator of germs, with curious kids, touching everything and not necessarly disciplined about keeping masks on their faces .

None .

None 2:25 "we're still waiting for more clarity from the governor, more clarity from the state education department" the nys bus contractors association provides inside and guidance to school districts and bus contractors, including birnie bus, which transports utica students.

They say guidance from the state is in short supply.

What they have an endless supply of, are questions 2:48 "if you're wearing masks, do you still need to be six feet apart?

That's a big question and clarity that we need" 4:24 "we're not exactly sure if we need to socially distance on a school bus" but there are some absolutes 1:09 "a couple of things that are a probable necessity are going to be masks for the drivers and the matrons and the children, of course.

Hand sanitizer stations or bottles on each vehicle....disinfection spray on each vehicle to go over highly topical areas such as seat backs, guard rails, hand rails, seatbelts, one local superintendent is asking parents for help 20:47 "do everything possible to get your kids there using your own transportation" coming up new at six, we'll hear from the utica school superintendent, bruce karam, about a flurry of preparations.....he hopes won't be in vain.

Stand up 'and all of this planning could be for nothing.

School districts have