In Hartford, a Discussion on Seat Belts
NEWINGTON - A bill to require seatbelts on public school buses is in the legislature again, with proponents of the measure-making its second round through the General Assembly-point to headline grabbing collisions of both past and present in making the argument for what they feel is a needed safety precaution.

       But a contingent of opponents-which includes both the CT Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) and the CT Association of Boards of Education (CABE)-say that the legislation, if passed, would create extra costs without the intended safety benefits.

       The bill-currently being discussed among members of the Transportation Committee-aims to require the addition of 3-point seat belts on all public school buses in the state. It was proposed by State Representative Fred Camillo, a Republican serving Greenwich, this session, as well as in 2011-a year after a student in Rocky Hill was killed when his car collided with a school bus.

        â€"I have always been disappointed that seat belts are not mandatory on school buses,” said Wethersfield Board of Education Chair Bobbie Hughes Granato. â€"I am in favor of anything that will keep our children safe. We buy cars with multiple air bags, but don't keep kids safely in their seats on a bus.  This has never made sense to me as a parent and as an educator.”

       In early March, five Norwich Tech students sustained minor injuries when a car crashed into their bus on a road in Canterbury.

       Camillo cited both instances in his written testimony to the Transportation Committee.

       â€"When parents say goodbye to their school-age kids each day, the last thing they should have to worry about is their safety when riding to school,” Camillo wrote. â€"We can’t legislate a 100 percent foolproof mechanism, but we have it within our powers to do all we can to decrease the chances of tragedies that involve school buses from occurring.”

       But the legislation fails to take other more likely dangers-such as a bus fire situation-into account, said Newington Superintendent of Schools Bill Collins.

       â€"You have kids strapped in-what do you think is going to happen?” Collins said.

       As for the risks posed by collisions, they tend to be minimalized for school bus passengers because of the vehicle’s sturdy design, Collins said.

       In its own testimony to the Committee, CAPSS described the proposal as a â€"double mandate” that would strap districts not only with the costs of adding the seatbelts, but enlisting monitors to ensure that students-particularly in younger grade levels-use them properly.

       But Collins said that his opposition is prompted strictly by other risk factors.

       â€"I’d spend the money twice over if I thought it’d be beneficial,” he said.

       As for the monitors, Cromwell Superintendent of Schools Paula Talty-who presides over a district that has utilized bus seat belts for at least as long as her 20-year tenure there-admitted that it is something districts that implement the measure will need to deal with.

       â€"[It’s] definitely more of a challenge when it comes to needing monitors, but we only have monitors on buses when the student behavior has been an issue,” Talty wrote in an email.

       Rocky Hill Superintendent of Schools Mark Zito-who came to the town after the 2010 incident-admitted that he’s undecided on the legislation.

       â€"There are compelling arguments on both sides, and I’d have to do more of the research before making a determination,” he said.

      

      

      

      
STORY BY MARK DIPAOLA   |  Mar 23 2017  |  COMMENTS?