License and Certification Qualifications: Valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with air brake, passenger (P) and school bus (S) endorsements required to drive a school bus. No CDL is required to apply for the position. Valid Class A, B or C Driver?s License required to apply for the position; required to have held an unrestricted driver?s license for three or more years prior to application date; required to obtain a CDL permit before being hired into the bus manager training program. Bus Managers receive American Heart Association certification during the training program and must complete the required bi-annual training to maintain it (provided by GCPS).
Education Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent required.
Experience Qualifications: Must successfully complete the Bus Manager training program provided by Gwinnett County Public Schools..
Skills Qualifications: Ability to communicate in the English language both orally and in writing; strong interpersonal skills; ability to take directions; ability to exhibit a positive attitude; ability to interact positively with, gain respect of, and maintain effective control over student passengers to ensure that behavior is not distracting to safe driving; ability to operate a school bus transporting students in a safe, proper and courteous manner; ability to work harmoniously with children and others; ability to work well as part of a team.
Primary Responsibilities: Perform all activities required to safely operate a school bus transporting students and other authorized personnel to and from schools and school-related events.
1. Ensure the safe, timely, and dependable transportation of students and other authorized personnel to-and-from school and/or school-related events.
a. Demonstrate prompt and regular attendance; work hours may vary during the school year.
2. Operate the school bus in strict compliance with federal, state, and local laws, GCPS policies and procedures, and GCPS Transportation protocol to protect the student passengers, the general public, and the school system from harm.
a. Participate in 70 to 90 hours of initial training as well as 20 to 40 hours of professional development each year to maintain safe driving skills.
b. Successfully complete and pass annual qualification health physical, annual driving skills exam, and submit to and successfully pass random, unannounced drug and alcohol tests.
c. Adhere to the policies and procedures of the Gwinnett County Public School district and the protocol and regulations detailed in the GCPS Transportation Handbook.
d. Operate bus free from traffic violations or warning citations from state or local law enforcement.
e. Operate bus free from preventable accidents as determined by the Safety & Training department.
3. Ensure that students are loaded, properly secured, and unloaded with extreme attentiveness to student safety.
a. Use extreme concentration when transporting students during all routes.
b. Monitor surrounding traffic to ensure safety of student passengers.
c. Count each student from the stop onto the bus or from the bus until safely positioned at the bus stop while maintaining control of the students still on the bus.
d. Ensure that each student is safely and appropriately seated within the seat compartment.
e. Ensure that all equipment including book bags, models, and musical instruments are secured within the seating compartment.
4. Maintain a safe environment within the bus by enforcing rules of conduct, tactfully managing student behavior, and reporting cases of student misbehavior to appropriate administrators.
a. Monitor student behavior on the bus and protect students from inappropriate actions of other students.
b. Utilize student behavior management to help prevent discipline issues, to intervene early in the development of any behavior issues, and to provide for consistent and appropriate consequences if the misbehavior escalates.
c. Maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality concerning any issues related to student management.
5. Perform pre-trip inspection, post-trip inspection, adhere to school bus maintenance requirements, and ensure school bus is clean and sanitary at all times.
a. Perform and log physical inspections of the soundness and safety of each vehicle prior to operations and after operations, including inspections in the morning before routes and after routes, and in the afternoon before and after routes.
b. Deliver bus to vehicle maintenance facility as directed by schedule, supervisory personnel, or vehicle maintenance personnel.
c. Maintain internal and external cleanliness of assigned vehicle for the purpose of ensuring safety, appearance, comfort, and sanitation of the vehicle.
6. Attend zone staff meetings, complete staff development training, and participate in job-related workshops as required for the purpose of gathering information to safely perform job functions.
a. Keep up-to-date on current technology, as job appropriate, being used by GCPS; establish and maintain operational proficiency of same.
7. Prepare reports (e.g., field trip reports, incident reports, inspections records, passenger misbehavior, mileage logs, student counts, routing information, etc.) for the purpose of documenting activities, providing written reference, conveying information, and/or complying with established guidelines.
a. Assist school personnel or other GCPS staff with data collection as needed related to student management or other functions of the GCPS Transportation department.
8. Communicate with others in a timely, accurate, empathetic, and professional manner as needed to ensure the safe and reliable transportation of student passengers.
a. Communicate with dispatchers through use of the radio, following proper protocol.
b. Respond to inquiries from students, parents, and/or staff for the purpose of providing the necessary information regarding transportation services and safe, acceptable student behavior.
c. Interact in a positive and collaborative manner with school administrators to extend the classroom to the school bus.
d. Act as an ambassador of the district, behaving in a professional and courteous manner, and treating all individuals with respect and patience.
9. Provide safety and emergency training to all students.
a. Train students on the proper way to ride a school bus during the first week of school, including loading and unloading protocol, proper seating, railroad crossings, and various other issues.
b. Provide ongoing emergency training concerning the actions to be taken in various emergency situations on a monthly basis.
c. Provide emergency evacuation training that is simulated monthly and practiced twice a year.
10. Perform other duties as assigned by the Transportation Supervisor or other administrator.
Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands to touch, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. In case of emergency the employee must be able to lift and/or move more than 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.