Rule 3301-83-15 | Emergency and evacuation procedures.
(A) Emergency procedure -
Each school bus and motor van owner will adopt a policy and provide training for handling emergencies on school buses and motor vans while pupils are being transported including but not necessarily limited to:
(1) Procedures for handling any medical emergencies of pupils while they are being transported. Each school bus or motor van owner will provide training to all school bus and motor van drivers transporting pupils to ensure that the drivers understand the policy and their responsibilities. No school bus or motor van driver will transport pupils unless the driver has received such training.
(2) Training for bus drivers in seizure disorders according to section 3313.7117 of the Revised Code.
(3) Procedures for when and how to notify parents if their students were on a transportation vehicle involved in an accident.
(B) Policies will be developed in cooperation with all those whose services are needed in the event of emergencies. The transportation director/supervisor, school administrators, teachers, drivers, maintenance and service personnel and students will be provided instruction in the procedures to be followed in the event of:
(1) Accident procedure -
The policy will describe how to protect the accident scene; evacuate and control students; evaluate the need for medical assistance; notify the responsible law enforcement agency, the Ohio state highway patrol according to rule 3301-83-14 of the Administrative Code, school officials and emergency services; collect and record data essential to the preparation of necessary reports; and communicate with parents and/or guardians.
(2) Disability of driver procedure-
The policy will describe situations in the event of illness, injury, or disability of the vehicle driver.
(3) School vehicle failure procedure -
The policy will describe procedures for securing the vehicle, discharging and controlling passengers, notifying school officials, securing alternate equipment, and repairing and recovering the disabled school vehicle.
(4) Inclement weather conditions procedure -
The pre-emergency policy will provide instruction as to school closings, delayed take-ups and/or early dismissals.
(5) Tornado procedure -
The policy will provide procedures for drivers and students in the event of tornado sightings and/or warnings.
(6) Policies will also be developed to address other dangerous and/or threatening situations (e.g., weapons, assaults, unauthorized attempted boardings, and impeding the movement of the school vehicle).
(7) Policies adopted under this paragraph will be posted by school bus and motor van owners online if feasible or will be made available upon request, subject to redactions that may be necessary in accordance with section 149.433 of the Revised Code.
(C) Evacuation procedure -
The superintendent or designee will organize and conduct three emergency exit drills for all students who ride school buses to and from school.
(1) Each of the following emergency procedures will be conducted at least once annually:
(a) Everyone exits through the front entrance door;
(b) Everyone exits through the rear emergency door; and
(c) Front half exits through the front door and rear half exits through the rear door.
(2) The transportation director/supervisor in cooperation with building principals will arrange and schedule all drills. The drills will be supervised by at least one staff person other than the driver assigned to the route.
(3) Drills will be held on school property when possible and not on the bus route.
(4) The driver is to remain in the bus during evacuation drills. The parking brake will be set, the ignition turned off and the transmission placed in neutral or park.
(5) Pupils are not to take lunch boxes, books, etc., when they leave the bus.
(6) Pupils are to assemble at a distance of at least one hundred feet from the bus during an "emergency drill" and remain there until given further directions.
(7) Emergency evacuation drills of preschool and special needs children may necessitate modification of the procedures listed in this paragraph.
Last updated July 1, 2025 at 8:02 AM
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