By Christian Avard
Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD — It took 20 minutes for a Springfield school bus driver to get students to sit in their seats recently, despite a new policy aimed at improving school bus safety.

Transportation Committee Coordinator Lisa Hall insists that Project SAFE will reduce the number of students getting out of their seats during the ride and improve safety despite the snag they hit a week after the new program began.

“One of the buses pulled over two times and another pulled over three times. It took one of those drivers 20 minutes to calm the children down and obey bus rules,” Hall said.

Hall did not provide the School Board with statistics prior to the implementation of Project SAFE but she said there were 12 instances of buses pulling over after the policy was implemented. Monday was the toughest, she said.

Hall said the students who ride the buses where problems typically arise attend Elm Hill Primary and Union Street Elementary Schools.

“We almost never have problems with Riverside Middle School and never with the high school,” she said.

The bus that pulled over for 20 minutes was an after school bus taking students from Elm Hill to a Springfield after-school program, according to Elm Hill Principal Dana Jacobson-Goodhue. She said there are as many as 50 students that ride the bus and up to 30 of them take part in the after school program.

For the complete story, see Thursday's Rutland Herald.