Most school districts have a self-reporting policy that requires drivers to self-disclose driving violations and collision/accident information to the district. The self-reporting requirement should be for all employees with driving responsibilities, including occasional drivers such as administrators and maintenance staff as well as bus drivers.
In addition to a self-reporting policy, a district should consider increasing the frequency of obtaining Motor Vehicle Records or driver records. Most districts are completing an MVR on a driver at the time of hire, but it is important to check a driver’s motor vehicle record annually.
It is also important that a district take corrective action if it finds that a driver has an unacceptable driving record. There are several websites that, for a nominal fee, will automatically generate a driver record when any of the following occurs:
• Upon new hire of a driver or an employee being assigned driving tasks
• Annually from the date of hire or enrollment into the program
• When a driver has any of the following action/activities added to his or her driver record:
o Convictions
o Failures to appear
o Accidents
o Driver’s license suspensions or revocations
Having both a self-disclosure policy as well as obtaining annual MVRs may seem redundant but the goal is to implement procedures that eliminate the possibility of an employee with an unacceptable driving record or suspended license from operating a district vehicle.
— By Joe Isaacs, loss control specialist, Kentucky School Boards Insurance Trust