DeWine announces members of school bus safety task force

Governor Mike DeWine provided more information Wednesday about his newly formed school bus safety task force.

DeWine announced the creation of the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group last week following the death of 11-year-old Aiden Clark, who was killed in a crash involving a school bus in Clark County. More than 20 children on that bus were injured.

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The task force will be made up of 14 members, including:

• Andy Wilson (Chair) Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety (Former Clark County Prosecutor)
• Jeff Dornbusch Vice President, Benton Carroll Salem School Board
• Carolyn Everidge-Frey Senior Executive Director, Center for Advancing Professional Supports, Ohio Department of Education
• Dean Fadel President, Ohio Insurance Institute
• Judith French Director, Ohio Department of Insurance
• Paul Imhoff Director of Government Relations, Buckeye Association of School Administrators
• Col. Charles Jones Superintendent, Ohio State Highway Patrol
• Jack Marchbanks Director, Ohio Department of Transportation
• Jessica Mead Parent
• Erin Reed Assistant Policy Director, Office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine
• David Russell School Bus Driver, South Euclid Lyndhurst School District
• Robert Widener President, Ohio School Bus Mechanics Association
• Chris Woolard Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ohio Department of Education
• Jingzhen Yang, MPH, PhD Principal Investigator, Center for Injury Research & Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

“There is always more that can be done when it comes to the safety of children, and I believe we have an obligation to take a holistic look at the safety of our school buses,” said Governor DeWine. “This group’s review will be thorough, focusing on many different aspects of transportation safety.”

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The task force will examine topics such as school bus regulations, school bus seat belts, school bus design, maintenance, and inspection, driver licensing, certification, and training, school bus safety technology, crash risk factors, and more.

To learn more about the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group, you can click here.

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