A new audit from the Auditor General has found that some bus drivers may have been slipping through the cracks of the school board when it comes to driver’s records and police checks.
Further, some do not fully meet training requirements and some schools did not fully comply with policy for bus safety training to students.
Julia Mullaley released three reports on Thursday – one on student transportation, and the others on wellness priorities and healthy eating in schools.
The AG says the English School District should develop documented guidance for staff, as currently none exists. She also wants to see more guidance for staff on how to assess a driver’s record and police check to ensure that they meet the necessary requirements and expectations. Currently, some drivers can get behind the wheel even though they have not completed their training.
Mullaley says from their sample of 92 contracted and district drivers, there were 40 with driving infractions within the last five years and 18 with criminal or regulatory convictions, almost all of which were older than 20 years.
They could not determine how the District assessed these drivers due to a lack of documentation.
In response, the board said they will be implementing a formal approval process that will require the Regional Manager of Student Transportation and Regional Manager of Human Resources to sign off on.
Mullaley says the lack of assessment concerns her.
She says children are vulnerable people and it is key to have the right processes in place for safety and well-being.