CMS Transportation Current Events

National School Bus Safety Week - October 17-21

During National School Bus Safety Week, the Transportation Department highlighted several topics to illustrate how we continue to contribute to the safe transportation of the students to and from school.  CMS has seen continued yearly improvements in our annual Deaprtment of Instruction (DPI) School Bus Safety Audit.  In addition, the installation of GPS units on all the buses allows CMS Transportation to easily monitor all the buses that operate throughout the district.  The NC State Highway Patrol also kicked off Operation Stop-Arm during National School Bus Safety Week to monitor motorists that pass a stopped school bus.

GPS Technology

CMS installed GPS technology on all of its school buses three years ago.  As a result, the Transportation Department is better able to monitor the locations of the buses.  GPS is a useful tool to determine our arrival times at the schools.  Click here to see a brief news video about our GPS technology.

Annual DPI Bus Inspections

CMS has shown continuous improvement in our yearly inspection scores.  During 2010-2011, our fleet scored below the state average.  Click here to see a brief news video about CMS Transportation's School Bus Safety Inspections.

NC Highway Patrol Operation Stop Arm

The NC Highway Patrol and the Department of Public Instruction combined efforts during National School Bus Safety Week.  They worked school zones, and other areas to crack down on motorists that violate the Stop Arm Law by passing a stopped school bus.  Click here to view a brief news video about Operation Stop Arm.

Law Enforcement Agencies Conduct Training Exercises

Law Enforcement Agents from the ATF, and other surrounding agencies converged upon the School Bus Staging Facility at Wilkinson Blvd. in October.  Their purpose was to conduct routine training exercises with their Explosive Detection Canines. These canines are trained specifically in detecting different types of explosives.

Successful detection of the explosive material results in a food, and praise reward for their handler.

Explosive Detection Canine teams are assigned to local, state, and other federal law enforcement agencies.

Explosive Detection Canines undergo an extensive 10 week training program, that teaches them to recognize five different groups of explosives.

With their specialized training, the Explosives Detection Canines can find carefully hidden devices that may not be detected by humans.

The agents attending the training at the Bus Staging Facility on Wilkinson Blvd. agreed the location and setting provided vauable training for the canines and their handlers.