Current through Register No. 40, October 3, 2024
(a)
Each school bus driver shall successfully complete, as determined by his/her
employer, the program of instruction for driving a school bus. The length of
instruction shall be a minimum of 10 hours. Road skills training shall be
exclusive of instructional time.
(b) Each new and renewal contract negotiated
by a school district for school bus transportation shall contain a clause
requiring each school bus driver to undergo training in accordance with the
requirements of (c) and (d), below.
(c) Pre-service instruction shall include the
following:
(1) Instructing each school bus
driver to cope with:
a. A range of
environmental issues;
b. Issues
pertaining to the vehicle; and
c. A
range of issues involving pupils;
(2) Promoting an understanding and
application of federal and state laws and rules governing the operation of a
school bus;
(3) Instruction
regarding the application of basic first aid measures;
(4) Instruction regarding emergencies such as
fire, accidents and adverse weather conditions;
(5) Instruction regarding the performance of
visual pre-trip safety inspections and the completion of vehicle inspection
reports;
(6) Instruction regarding
the basic concepts of pupil control and discipline;
(7) Instructing each school bus driver to
become familiar with his/her role in promoting safe fleet
performance;
(8) Instructing each
school bus driver to become familiar with the necessary record keeping
procedures for driving a school bus as required by these rules and the driver's
employer;
(9) Instruction regarding
the type of vehicle the school bus driver shall be driving including:
a. Smooth starting, stopping and turning
techniques;
b. Proper use of
signals;
c. Use of
mirrors;
d. Proper use of the
clutch and gearshift or automatic transmission; and
e. Picking up and discharging
pupils;
(10) Instructing
each school bus driver to become familiar with the necessity of stopping at
railroad grade crossings pursuant to
RSA
265:50;
(11) Instructing each school bus driver to
become familiar with the procedures for conducting emergency evacuation drills
for every means of egress, including:
a. Front
door evacuation;
b. Rear door
evacuation;
c. Front-rear door
evacuation;
d. Kicking out the
windshield; and
e. Using roof
hatches and side emergency doors;
(12) Instructing each school bus driver to
report emergency evacuation drills to the designee of the school district no
later than October 15th and May 15th of each school year;
(13) Instructing each school bus driver to
report emergency evacuations to the designee of the school district within 24
hours after the evacuation; and
(14) Instructing each school bus driver to
become familiar with the requirements of 49 CFR 382, pertaining to controlled
substances and alcohol use and testing, as well as the employer's policies and
procedures with respect to those requirements.
(d) Each school district shall certify that
each school bus driver has satisfactorily completed the pre-service instruction
program before the school bus driver is certified by the director. The company
or school bus owner shall maintain records for 24 months indicating the dates
of training, the period of time and the areas covered.
#4873, eff 07-24-90; ss by #6297, eff 7-23-96; ss by
#8122, INTERIM, eff 7-17-04, EXPIRES: 1-13-05; ss by #8248, eff
1-4-05
