Local school districts respond to national bus safety recommendation

Several southern Colorado school districts reflected Wednesday on a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board this week to require lap and shoulder seat belts in new school buses.

Seat belts presently are required on buses transporting special education students but are only recommended for other school buses.

The NTSB’s recommendation comes after a series of serious school bus crashes around the country.

Lewis-Palmer School District 38, in Monument, recently added three new belt-equipped buses to its fleet of 50 school buses.

“Each one cost $100,000,” said Julie Stephen, a district spokeswoman. “We don’t have seat belts on every seat, but the belt is built into the back of the seat, so we can easily install more of them if they ever become required.”

Cost is a limiting factor for school districts considering the use of more belts.

“The seat back with the built-in seat belt costs $200,” she said. “If we had to retrofit each seat, it would cost $500 for each seat back.”

Seat belts are not on every seat of the new buses but Stephen said the seats include another safety factor.

“Each seat back is padded on the front and back,” she said. “That offers some protection for students riding these buses.”

Many school districts, such as Fountain-Fort Carson District 8, have no seat belts on regular route buses.

“We have no plans to add seat belts, but it’s something to re-evaluate as time goes on,” said district spokeswoman Christy McGee.