SAFE TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA’S STUDENTS

WHEREAS, school districts throughout the United States allow the use of motor coaches to transport students to and from school activities; and

WHEREAS, state and federal regulations related to the construction, design and use of motor coaches are extremely limited or nonexistent; and

WHEREAS, the motor coach drivers do not have to meet the requirements and qualifications of school bus drivers; and

WHEREAS, studies show that current motor coach design and construction make them vulnerable to fires; and

WHEREAS, accidents involving motor coaches result in riders being ejected from the vehicle through broken windows and injured or killed by roof collapsing when vehicle rolls over; and

WHEREAS, such risks to passengers could be dramatically reduced by known design changes and use of safer construction materials; and

WHEREAS, school bus manufacturers produce a conforming school bus that has motor coach-like amenities such as air conditioning, individual lighting and single comfortable seating; and

WHEREAS, students, parents and citizens expect that the vehicles being used to transport students to school activities are as safe as school buses and are driven by professional drivers trained to transport students; and

WHEREAS, the AFT is an advocate for the safe transportation of students:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers support federal legislation that requires motor coaches used to transport Pre-K-12 students and motor coach drivers to meet the same federal and state laws that apply to school buses and school bus drivers used to transport students to and from school.