Bonnie L. Cook of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes:

Spurred by a fatal school-bus accident in Montgomery County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation this fall will change its policy governing what driving-record information is released to prospective employers of school-bus drivers in the state.

Private bus contractors and school district officials will be able to see each applicant’s full driving record and a one-word description of the severity of any reported accident the aplicatn has had.

(…)

At yesterday’s briefing, State Rep. Josh Shapiro (D., Montgomery) said he was prompted to act after the Feb. 17 accident.

“I was outraged when I read the story and heard the comments that someone wit ha fatal 1999 acident was able to drive a school bus. Something is wrong in the system,” Shapiro said he recalled thinking.

For years, Shapiro said, PennDot’s policy has been not to release anything other than the last 10 years of a commercial driver’s record behind the wheel, and any accident citations.

Shapiro said he and State Rep. Bryan R. Lentz (D., Delaware) lobbied PennDot’s safety administration to add detail that would allow bus contractors and school district screeners to recognize drivers with spotty records.

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Jenna Portnoy of The Morning Call writes:

Changes at the state level will give all school district and contractors access to lifetime driving records of bus drivers, officials announced this morning in response to the revelation that a driver allegedly responsible for a fatal wreck in mid-February was also involved in an accident that killed a toddler a decade ago.

The records, which currently only cover a decade of driving activity, will also include the severity of any accidents, such as “fatal,” “property damage,” and “injury.” The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will adopt the new policy at the latest by October, but lawmakers said they hope the changes can go into effect in time for the start of the school year.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and state Reps. Josh Shapiro and Bryan Lentz made the announcement in Norristown, along with Abington School Superintendent Amy Sichel.

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Brad Segall of KYW writes:

Penndot appears ready to change one of its policies in the wake of a deadly bus crash in Montgomery County, Pa. last month – a change designed to make it safer for children who use the big yellow school buses every day.

State representatives Bryan Lentz and Josh Shapiro were to be in Norristown on Monday morning to announce the change which affects driving records for school bus applicants in Pennsylvania.

Sources tell KYW Newsradio the change involves making a person’s full driving history available to a bus company or school district before they are hired.

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