2026-27 - School Bus Driver - Special Education

About the role

Performs skilled operation of Type III School Bus to transport students. Maintain disciplines and ensures a safe environment for students during loading and unloading and during driving and operating of the bus.

Responsibilities

• Drives conventional lift-equipped and forward control school busses ranging from Type I to Type III to transport students, including special needs students to and from school, between schools, to other District programs and/or the juvenile unit of the Police Department and on field and athletic trips.
• Supervises the safe loading and unloading of the school bus; conducts state mandated regularly scheduled emergency bus evacuation drills.
• Operates hydraulic lift equipment.
• Secures wheelchairs and other adaptive devices to ensure safe transportation of the students.
• Maintains a disciplined and safe environment on and around the school bus.
• Reports all incidents of unacceptable student conduct to building principal on the District Incident Report form.
• Ensures that School Bus Assistants and other staff riding the bus follow rules and regulations.
• Transports students to home or school who have been removed from contract school buses for physical or verbal attacks on other students and/or staff or for refusing to follow bus safety rules.
• Performs a detailed mechanical pre-trip inspection of the school bus covering items required by state law and department policy; completes pre-trip inspection report.
• Reports defects to supervisor.
• Maintains cleanliness of the interior and exterior of vehicles.
• Performs preventative maintenance including adding fluids, changing light bulbs, proper inflation of tires and related maintenance activities.
• Participates in in-service training for contract school bus drivers the District Bus Aides in First Aid, CPR, student behavior management, school bus safety, use of life equipment and/or related areas.
• Inventories, organizes and distributes bus and pedestrian safety materials.

Requirements

• High school diploma or G.E.D.
• Two years of experience as a School Bus Driver, which includes experience working with special needs students.
• Valid Class A or B commercial driver's license (CDL).
• School bus and/or passenger endorsement, or ability to reinstate the endorsements.
• Must have passed the written tests and obtained permit for the school bus and passenger endorsements prior to the interview.

Skills

• Knowledge of federal and state laws, rules, and regulations, District and department policies and procedures relating to the operation of a school bus.
• Considerable knowledge of student behavior management.
• Knowledge and Certification in American Red Cross First Aid, adult, child, and infant CPR.
• Some knowledge of medical conditions in order to know how to react in emergency situations.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to perform school bus routes, sometimes without a mapped copy of the route or by receiving directions over a two-way radio.
• Ability to lift, secure, and handle medical support equipment.
• Ability to interact effectively with students who have a wide variety of special needs and with parents, school staff and the public.