School Bus Safety

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3 here at news15, w've been with you every step of the way, breaking down exactly what this new school year will look like during the coronavirus pandemic.

Big changes are coming to the classroom, but what about that cramped bus ride to get there?

I went to the lafayette parish school system to find answers.

Out of the 32,000 students at lafayette parish schools, an average of 18,000 take the 3 bus.

In our new world of sanitation and social distancing, that poses a real problem for school officials.

Jennifer gardner lpss chief administrative officer "we went through multiple plans to find the best plan there was out there to give the kids."

The governo's phase two plan allows for 50 percent capacity on buses.

The largest bus lpss has is a 72-passenger, which means, at most, there will be 36 students allowed on a bus.

"some buses will have to go ahead and run a double-run.

Some will fit on a single-run.

But it will look different from the moment the students get to the bus stop in the morning."

Cb standup "before students even get on the bus, the first thing they do is mask up.

As soon as they do that, once they get on the bus, the'll immediately hit the hand sanitizer.

Then once the're all the way on the bus, i's all the way to the back."

That way, students wo't have to cross each other to find a seat.

The bus driver will be taking extra precautions, as well wearing a mask, and wiping everything down.

"when all the kids unload the bus at the school, the bus driver will actually get up and clean each seat, the tops of each seat, any touchable surfaces the kids have touched through the ride, loading and unloading, to provide the safest and cleanest environment for the students."

Since school will now operate on an a/b schedule, there wo't be quite so many kids to bus in, but an hour of face-to-face afternoon instruction is now shaved off so drivers can make those double runs.

"so it did create a big challenge, but of course we accomplished our goal and find a way to make it happen."

And parents are stepping up in a big way close to 70 percent are offering to drive their kids to school.

Officials say if you can drop your kids off and pick them up, i's a big help to those bus drivers.

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