Greenville School District Transportation Department gears up for new year

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GREENVILLE — According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, school bus drivers play a critical role in the safe transportation of students to and from home and school.

As a result, specific certification and requirements must be met by the State of Ohio. Greenville City School District’s Transportation Department has been keeping on task and planning for a new year. Greenville’s Transportation Supervisor Andrew Grasty and several of the district’s bus drivers, attended an “Ohio Advanced School Bus Driver Training” professional development program in Columbus this summer. The training consisted of three days reviewing the laws that govern pupil transportation in Ohio, mastering skills while driving buses through surprise obstacle courses and learning how to respond in a crisis situation.

“We all take our job very seriously,” Grasty said. “It is a pleasure making sure we get the world’s most valuable and precious cargo to school each morning, and back safely to their families each afternoon. It is a lot of work, but we have fun doing it.

In addition, the bus mechanic and student mechanic have spent their summer completing preventative maintenance, Grasty said. Some of that maintenance includes: oil changes, tire and brake changes and anything required to make sure the buses are safe and uphold to the standards of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

“The State Highway Patrol’s construction and operation standards, along with each bus passing one annual inspection and one spot inspection each school year, govern whether or not the buses are road worthy to transport our students safely,” Grasty said. “Very few things can bring such satisfaction as knowing you made sure 1,400+ students make it to and from school safely each day. Our drivers and staff are dedicated, and just wonderful people all around.”

The Greenville City School’s transportation department is completing the routing process for the 2017-18 school year. According to Grasty, the department ensures it has the correct student trip request information in its routing software; either the same home-to-school and school-to-home transportation that was in place last year, or one of the several hundred alternate transportation yearly requests that were due by the August 9 deadline.

“We place a deadline on alternate transportation requests each year, in order to give us time to review the routes and capacity of each bus,” Grasty said. “It is a careful process, as we want to ensure safe and efficient routes for our students. There are nearly 40 routes, spreading across 84 trip segments: a.m. and p.m., kindergarten – fourth and fifth-12th grades, completed by 20 wonderful drivers and two para-professionals in 20 safe, yellow school buses, over 127 square miles of Greenville City School District, encompassing approximately 1,400+ students twice a day.”

“We are so thankful for those that get up each morning to come to work at 6 a.m. when it is dark, and sometimes snowy or rainy, and get the job done,” Grasty said. “We are always looking for more bus drivers to add to our team. We will train those individuals who are interested. For those interested, please stop by Memorial Hall on W. 4th Street or the Greenville City Schools Transportation office, on Markwith Ave. for an application today.”

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Greenville City School District’s Transportation Department has been keeping on task and planning for a new year. Supervisor Andrew Grasty and several of the district’s bus drivers attended an “Ohio Advanced School Bus Driver Training” professional development program in Columbus, this summer. The training consisted of three days reviewing the laws that govern pupil transportation in Ohio, mastering skills while driving buses through surprise obstacle courses and learning how to respond in a crisis situation.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_greenvillebus1.jpgGreenville City School District’s Transportation Department has been keeping on task and planning for a new year. Supervisor Andrew Grasty and several of the district’s bus drivers attended an “Ohio Advanced School Bus Driver Training” professional development program in Columbus, this summer. The training consisted of three days reviewing the laws that govern pupil transportation in Ohio, mastering skills while driving buses through surprise obstacle courses and learning how to respond in a crisis situation. Courtesy photos

Greenville City School District’s Transportation Department has been keeping on task and planning for a new year. Supervisor Andrew Grasty and several of the district’s bus drivers attended an “Ohio Advanced School Bus Driver Training” professional development program in Columbus, this summer. The training consisted of three days reviewing the laws that govern pupil transportation in Ohio, mastering skills while driving buses through surprise obstacle courses and learning how to respond in a crisis situation.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_bus2.jpgGreenville City School District’s Transportation Department has been keeping on task and planning for a new year. Supervisor Andrew Grasty and several of the district’s bus drivers attended an “Ohio Advanced School Bus Driver Training” professional development program in Columbus, this summer. The training consisted of three days reviewing the laws that govern pupil transportation in Ohio, mastering skills while driving buses through surprise obstacle courses and learning how to respond in a crisis situation. Courtesy photos

By Carolyn Harmon

[email protected]

The writer may be reached at 937-569-4354. Join the conversation and get updates on Facebook search Darke County Sports or Advocate 360. For more features online go to dailyadvocate.com.

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