School Van Driver - Safe Student Transport Specialist

Newington Public Schools; Newington (CT); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Newington Public Schools seeks a dedicated transportation professional to safely move students to and from school and activities, while building positive relationships with students, parents, teachers and administrators.

Responsibilities include operating buses safely, following traffic laws, and managing students with special needs, including lifts for adaptive transportation. Strong communication and reliability are essential.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of driving and safety laws.
• Knowledge of proper loading and unloading procedures, railroad crossings, accidents, medical emergencies, and emergency evacuations.
• Strong ability to problem-solve.
• Ability to remain calm under stressful situations.
• Effective communication skills, demonstrate writing skills to be able to complete assigned forms and reports.
• Maintain good hygiene and professional appearance.
• Ability to understand and carry out written and oral instructions.
• Maintain good work habits through low absenteeism and efficient time management.
• Remain current with the best practices for student transportation.
• Ability to safely and expeditiously evacuate students from the van in the event of an emergency.

Responsibilities

• Safely transport students to and from school and other events as needed.
• Comprehensive knowledge of driving, safety, and laws of student transportation.
• Ability to maintain effective behavior management systems over different age groups of students.
• Attendance at and implementation of in-service training and safety meetings as required by State Motor Vehicle Law.
• Ability to transport and manage students with special needs including the ability to operate adaptive transportation lifts to board and discharge passengers.
• Maintain, read and understand route sheets and maps, including notifying supervisor/dispatch of any time or route changes.
• Implement emergency procedures when appropriate.
• Ability to operate two way radios in compliance with district procedures.
• Inspect vehicles daily operation and correctly complete DVIR report before and after each trip.
• Properly care for vehicles and equipment.
• May perform additional tasks and duties as required.

Skills

Driving knowledge

Safety rules

Problem solving

Calm under pressure

Communication skills

Hygiene & appearance

Instruction following

Time management

Emergency evacuation

Student needs awareness

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

The Newington Public Schools seeks a dedicated transportation professional to safely move students to and from school and activities, while building positive relationships with students, parents, teachers and administrators.

Responsibilities include operating buses safely, following traffic laws, and managing students with special needs, including lifts for adaptive transportation. Strong communication and reliability are essential.