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North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS) bus drivers were privileged to receive extensive training from the Minnesota State Patrol's Sgt. Paul Davis from the Office of Pupil Transportation, December 1.

The opportunity for NBAPS drivers to receive this training from one of the top transportation safety experts in the state came about at the annual Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation meeting. At that time, Davis and NBAPS Transportation Director Bill Burton discussed the possibility of Davis coming to a regularly scheduled monthly safety meeting for drivers and making a presentation.

Davis covered a wide range of topics, including railroad crossing requirements, pre-trip inspections, authorized bus stops, child safety, commercial drivers license information and requirements, driving while intoxicated, cellular phone use, post crash vehicle inspection, post crash drug and alcohol testing, and stop-arm violations.

Lt. Edward Carroll, Pupil Transportation Safety Director was also on hand for the hour and a half training session to answer questions from bus drivers.

The training was only a small portion of the training both new and experienced bus drivers at North Branch Area Public Schools go through each year to ensure safety for students and commuters, and effective incident management.

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