A Statement From Geneva Area City School District
After receiving bus inspections in April, May and June of 2023, it was determined that we had 23 cleared buses ready for the first day of school this August.
Prior to the first day of school, one bus was in an accident, leaving 22 available buses.
With increased scrutiny on transportation safety from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office, as well as from the Ohio Department of Education, our bus garage received an inspection from a team of Ohio State Troopers today. After their inspections, we were informed that 11 of our 22 operational buses did not pass inspection.
There are many reasons a bus does not pass an inspection, ranging from not enough padding in a seat to mechanical issues.
We are still evaluating the reports, and will share more information soon.
Our staff is working tonight, and over the long weekend, with the goal of having reinspections conducted this weekend in order to have the buses we need to manage the transportation needs for our students and families when school resumes this Tuesday.
In the meantime, we want everyone to know that we are being as aggressive as possible in updating our fleet, including having purchased 8 new buses over the summer. These buses take time to be delivered; 2 have arrived and we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the other 6.
We are sorry this is inconvenient right now - it is our intention to serve the community at a high standard, and we are working hard towards that goal.
We are confident our team will have the buses ready for Tuesday. We will send out an All Call this weekend with updated information once the reinspections occur