School bus safety: Concerns about driver behaviour around Powell River school buses were raised at Powell River Board of Education on Tuesday, November 17.
Following discussion at a meeting of the BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA) in Vancouver attended by Powell River board members, school board members explored the option of driver education.
According to school trustee Aaron Reid, the BCSTA is urging the BC Ministry of Transportation and ICBC to increase the penalty for failing to stop for a school bus to six demerit points and a $368 dollar fine.
Although Reid acknowledged school-bus safety as an issue in Powell River, she said she prefers education over fines.
“Education for drivers is more important,” said Reid. “I think people are forgetting what they are supposed to do.”
According to the Motor Vehicle Act, drivers must stop when a school bus stops and not proceed until the bus resumes motion, or the driver of the bus signals to other drivers that it is safe to proceed.
Communication shakedown
Powell River school district has sent out a letter to representatives of each parent advisory committee (PAC) explaining that a district-wide PAC (DPAC) has been reinstated.
“We’ve re-established the DPAC, which I think will go quite a ways towards getting more information to parents,” said School District 47 superintendent of schools Jay Yule. “But we want to find ways to improve communication an get parent input into the work of the board and the district.”
DPAC consists of representatives from each school’s parent advisory council and is to meet regularly with the school board.
Curriculum update
Despite not hearing back from the BC Ministry of Education on guidelines for the new curriculum, the school board is proposing two training dates for local elementary school teachers.
If approved, district schools would close to students on those dates in order for teachers to learn how to implement the new curriculum.
“We are not exactly sure how to use the time at this point,” said superintendent of schools Jay Yule, “but we have to determine the two days and we want to get that information to the public so parents can plan.”
Proposed dates are Monday, February 15, and Friday, April 15.
The school board is hoping to hear feedback on the proposed dates at [email protected] by December 18.
