Letter to the editor: We should invest in school bus safety

Much has been said about school safety in the past few years, but not enough has been done regarding school bus safety. Unfortunately, as a retired Pennsylvania child care inspector for more than 18 years and a Pennsylvania school safety and security assessor, I can only say what must be done. It is up to Pennsylvania legislators, school districts and school boards to do what must be done.

Pennsylvania schools and child care facilities are having problems hiring qualified bus drivers. I checked thousands of clearances for employees working directly with children; I recommend that schools pay for the prospective bus driver clearances. The three required clearances for Pennsylvania public schools and/or four required clearances for Pennsylvania licensed child cares would cost less than $100 per employee. Also, there would be other safety benefits with this process.

Wouldn’t this be taxpayer money well spent? Why do child care employees need one more clearance than public schools, you ask? Well, that’s another story that needs to be told and changed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Dennis Smiddle

Canonsburg