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(Gazette Photo by Mary Munro)Page 12 - THE JANESVILLE GAZETTE - Tuesday, February 29, 1972Jefferson Board Members Unsureof School Bus Emergency RulesBy INEZ LaDIENStaff CorrespondentJEFFERSON—Indecision over establishment of a definite policy governing bus driver procedure during inclement weather emergencies plagued the school board here at its meeting Monday night.The lack of decision was the result of followup action of its Jan. 31 meeting when several rural area parents appeared before the board and accused a bus driver of using poor judgment in allowing 19 children to leave the bus during a snowstorm Jan. 24.The board, at its meeting on Jan. 31, tentatively agreed the children should remain under the jurisdiction of the bus driver until safely home or until housed safely at the nearest home.Not Sure of Policy Supt. Richard J. Marshall said he encountered difficulty when he started to write up a policy as he didn’t know exactly what the wishes of the school board were. Marshall said he felt the bus drivers should have a variety of courses to pursue whenever it became apparent they could not complete their normal routes.Some suggestions, he said, were that drivers should stay with the children in the bus and send two older responsible youngsters to phone for assistance; turn around and bring the children back to Jefferson, or go to the nearest place of safety. He said he discussed the matter with William Nodolf, transportation supervisor, and said Nodolf could not offer any recommendations.Dean D’Aoust, board member, said he felt tne Safeway Corp., a school bus service based in Milwaukee, or RobertFoskett, who has a bus transportation contract with the school, should establish an outline procedure. “I realize it’s passing the buck,” he added.Will Seek Outline ProcedureFollowing considerable discussion, the board agreed that Marshall and D’Aoust contact the state Department of Public Instruction for definite outline procedure and submit it to the board.In other business, the board discussed the possibility of computerizing the school bus schedule.Dr. John Phelps, board member, who proposed the idea, said the system is being used in the eastern states andslowly is moving toward the Midwest.By computerizing, he said, it would eliminate the number of buses being used and could result in a cost saving to the school district. He added that taxpayers are starting to complain and now is the time to economize. He said basic cost of the computer service is from $5,000 to $6,000.Marshall said he discussed the possibility of the new service with Foskett and was told the only wa^ to save money is to double up on buses. He said some students would have to come earlier and some later and this would probably meet with parental disapproval. Marshall said Foskett plans to add more buses for the fall term and he wanted the matter concluded before that time. The board instructed the transportation committee—Phelps. William LaVassor and Harold Bockmann—to meet with a representative of Fermco, Inc., Barrington, 111., and report back.Wiring Bid AcceptedBruce Vosseler, district business manager, reported he received four bidsfor wiring for the stage lighting system at the high school. The board accepted the low bid of $1,496 from Calloway Electric Services, Jefferson. Total cost of the project will be $7,000, Vosseler noted. Vosseler also reported on a new form he developed on facilitating requisition items to aid in budget preparation.Del Olson, guidance couwselor, reported on the results of the weekly evening counseling program he initiated last September. He said he has had 17 counseling sessions and 43 individual conferences since that time.Vincent Lia, art instructor and cultural arts coordinator, presented an outline of the cultural arts curriculum for 1972-73. He wanted to know if the board wished to continue the program after the federal grant terminates Jan. 1, 1973. He noted the Jefferson Arts Council, recently activated, agreed to sponsor the live performance segment of the program and he felt confident that civic and service groups also would contribute financially to continue the program in the community. The board agreed to study his proposal.In final business, the board agreed to pay necessary expenses for students in the safety patrol program to attend a convention at Wisconsin Dells in the spring; hire one full-time art instructor instead of two part-time instructors, and to inspect all schools in the district for needed repairs, and to discuss the hot lunch program and air personnel grievances, if any.♦♦♦♦AA Division of theS S. KresqeVOCATIONAL EDUCATION DAY—Students at Delavan-Darien High School had an opportunity Monday to question some 50 representatives of various career fields who were on hand to address the students during the morning hours. Here Douglas Sorensen,Navy recruiter from Racine, speaks to a group of prospective sailors.Starts Wed. - Open Friday Till 9; Wednesday, Thursday A Saturday Till 5t30 p.m.
Newspaper Details
Janesville Gazette
Janesville, Wisconsin, US
Tue, Feb 29, 1972
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
WI, USA 26 Jun 2019
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