Board hears presentation on school bus safety

by Sheldon Ocker

Feb. 11 board of education work session

Over the past 20 years or so, a multitude of random shootings has turned the nation’s school buildings into fortresses and teachers into trained crisis managers.

But what about school buses? The relative vulnerability of the vehicles that transport students makes them an easy target for a disturbed individual toting one or more weapons.

That is the opinion of Ben Tyrrel, a U.S. Secret Service agent based in Cleveland who lives in the Revere district and has kids who attend Revere schools.

But Tyrrel’s interest in bus safety arises from more than concern for his family. Tyrrel is a member of START (School Transportation Active-Threat Response Training), an organization whose mission is to train school bus drivers to handle issues that could impact the safety of students, from angry parents to active shooters.

According to Tyrrel, who made a presentation to the Revere Board of Education, START is composed of law enforcement professionals, military psychologists and crisis intervention specialists.

“The schools are very safe,” Tyrrel said. “The buses need to be a lot better.”

As a member of the Secret Service for 25 years, guarding Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama for 5 ½ years, Tyrrel has been exposed to a range of threatening behavior, and he has been trained to prevent it.

“I agree with 90% of what they do [training teachers] in schools,” he said. “I applaud it. The buses are the problem. We have a tin can with two doors that don’t lock with drivers who aren’t trained as much as they should be with 30-40 young kids on board.”

Tyrrel said the probability that school buses become targets is practically inevitable.

“It’s a matter of time until someone, the wrong person, probably someone with a mental health condition, looks at the schools and says, ‘That’s Fort Knox, I can’t get in there.’” Tyrrel said. “Where’s the nearest soft target, school buses?”

START conducts eight-hour training sessions for bus drivers. There also is a refresher course plus updates focusing on techniques and other information on the START website.

For a district the size of Revere, the cost of the program is about $10,000. Board Treasurer Rick Berdine said the Revere Foundation has offered to pay half. If the board adopts the program, Berdine has identified a block of time in August when training can take place.

Therapy dogs

The board listened to Richfield Elementary Principal Tara Kieser speak about therapy dogs, a topic that arose at an earlier meeting.

“We know that some kids have difficulty with social, emotional skills so that friendship [with a dog], that companion – studies show that it can help with negative behavior,” said Kieser, who saw therapy dogs in action at Hudson schools, her previous employer.

She said that therapy dogs even help slow readers become more proficient.

“Especially [some] elementary kids feel uncomfortable reading in front of class but not to a dog, which is non-judgmental,” she said.

Kieser also pointed out potential problems with kids who are afraid of dogs and teachers and students who display allergy symptoms.

“It’s also an opportunity to teach our kids how to approach a dog,” she said.

Financial literacy

Ryan Lekan, who teaches coding at Revere Middle School, proposed a nine-week elective class that focuses on financial literacy for middle school students in seventh and eighth grades.

“Things are becoming more complex,” Lekan said, “so prepare students for a complex financial world.”

Topics would include checking accounts, filing taxes, figuring discounts, making a budget and investing, among other subjects.

SAT preference

Revere High Principal Doug Faris and high school counselor Elizabeth Long recommended that the district shift its preference from the ACT test to the SAT, although students will be permitted to take either.

Long said one problem with the ACT is that it is undergoing a change from paper testing to digital, a process that will take a few years.

“There is a lot of confusion [among colleges] as to how they will be utilizing those ACT results,” Long said.

The SAT already has undergone a transformation from paper to digital.

Long stressed that “every single college in the country will accept either test equally.”

Extra creditMusic teacher Tom Chiera proposed that students who take part in ensemble music activities have an opportunity to receive honors credit.