Bus driver hit with student's duffel bag prompts new policies

Edmonton Catholic Schools will implementnew regulations for school buses after a student hit a Cunningham Transportation driver in the head with a duffel baglast May.

An investigation into the incident has resulted in four new measures, which will be in place for the start of the school year.

Items allowed on buses can now be no larger than to 13 inches by 13 inches by 30 inches. The district is also implementing a system where drivers can call in "code reds" to a dispatcher whenever their ability to drive safely is threatened.

• Bus driver wins apology from school board after kicking off student
• Student kicked off bus 'threatened' driver, bus company says
• Edmonton bus company swamped with messages of support for driver

Drivers can now use a form to report bad student behavior to their schools. Transportation staff from Edmonton Catholic Schools will go to orientation sessions to discuss expectations and update drivers on the new procedures.

LauraDoroshenko, operations manager for Cunningham Transportation Services, is pleased with the recommendations.

"They've made some really positive changes," she said. "I think it's a change for the better, and I'm looking forward to the future."

The incident last spring was documented by two different videos one taken by a student in the back of the bus, the other captured by the driver himself withaGoProcamera.

The student video was made publicfirst. It showed the driver yelling at a studentand kicking him off the bus 10 blocks from home.

The video prompted the district to demandCunningham transportation fire the driver. The company responded by removingthe driverfrom all Catholic school bus routes.

However, the driver was exonerated when the secondvideo, taken byhisGoProcamera, revealed the other side of the story.

One student could be seen kicking and punching a younger child, followed by another boy swinging his duffelbag at the driver's head. Cunningham Transportation said the boy had threatened the driver.

The driver installed the camera after having trouble with the same group of students.

Edmonton Catholic Schools apologized to the driver once they saw his video.

Boardspokeswoman Lori Nagy said the bus driver will beallowed to drive the district's routes this fall.