Bathurst Mothers ask for Liberals and Conservatives to cooperate on Van Angels Law

On Thursday February 25, we met with the Conservative Caucus to discuss our concerns about the Coroners Act and the proposed new policies and guidelines of the Department of Education regarding transportation of school children to extra curricular activities.

One of the messages that came out of the meeting was the need for the Liberals and Conservatives to cooperate in making the necessary changes to the Coroners Act and the Education Act.

In this short YouTube Video Ana and I speak about the meeting and our hopes for what it means in obtaining our goal of a Van Angels law.

Good Idea # 1: Recommendation for Coroners Inquest

About two weeks before the Coroners Inquest into the death of our sons begins in May, we'll be meeting with a representative of the New Brunswick Department of Education to discuss our concerns and recommendations for improved transportation.

We decided that it would be a good idea to post our ideas for improving the system of transporting children to out-of-town, extra-curricular events. That way, everyone can see and discuss before the Inquest and then it won't be a big suprise when we announce our recommendations during our testimony.

Good Idea Number One

We have a suggestion that we believe should be seriously considered by the government as a permanent solution to the problems raised by school travel and perhaps this is something that both the Liberals and Conservatives will work together on to bring a solution to what we believe has become travel chaos.

We know that the Department of Education has all kinds of employees who are assigned any number of specialized tasks, from assistant deputy ministers to curriculum development, from teachers aides to learning consultants and communications officers. All you have to do is look at the Department of Education website and click on "employees" to see how many people work there and the kinds of jobs they do. Check it out, you'd be surprised to see how many employees there are at the Department of Education. Click here for Employees Directory

We believe it is time to set aside some funds dedicated solely to transportation safety. We believe there should be at least one individual whose sole responsibility is to gather all the information available on weather and travel conditions on days when school children are travelling to and from sports events. This person would be in contact with Environment Canada, Department of Transportation, the Department of Education, the RCMP and local police forces.

This office should be open as long as any students may be impacted by adverse travel conditions and have the exclusive authority to get students off the road including unscheduled overnight stays. This office must be neutral, act on its own decisions and separate from influences of any kind. The responsibilities would have to be clearly defined. and resources re-allocated, but it is an idea that is clearly worth discussing.

Superintendent says she has no way of knowing how many teams are on the road - leave it to principal, coaches and volunteers to interpret policy

On February 27, the Department of Education released new Policies 512 and 513, which replace Guidelines 512 and 513 regarding travel. The new policies were hailed by the Minister, Kelly Lamrock, as a solution to criticism of the way decisions were made for school travel because they entrust the responsibility for decision-making to the District Superintendent.

On the surface, this seems to resolve a number of issues, including the almost daily conflicting interpretation of the guidelines concerning travel.

However, three days after the release of the new policies, the District Superintendent for Moncton, Karen Branscombe, said on CBC Radio Moncton's Information Morning that she is too busy to know what is going on with team travel and that she was going to rely on the principals, coaches and volunteers to interpret the new policies for her:

This is exactly what she said:

"We're relying on the principals to be talking with the coaches and volunteers on a daily basis reviewing what teams are supposed to go where and I've asked them to help make those calls for me certainly I designate it to them I have no way of knowing on a daily basis how many teams are on the road and checking that would be I would be worried that I certainly would miss something without those principals working on that with me."
Karen Branscombe, District 2 Superintendent, March 2, 2009
Source: "New Standards" on CBC Information Morning Moncton Website
http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningmoncton/int_archives/mar.html

You can imagine our shock at hearing the Superintendent saying she would leave the interpretation of Policy 512 and 513 up to the principals, coaches and volunteers. Isn't that what happened on January 12, 2008? We know what the result was, the deaths of our children!!

We Have a Solution to Travel Chaos

As a result of that interview, we have reflected on the role of the District Superintendents. We know that they are busy professionals who have many responsibilites on their plate, as do teachers, coaches, parents and volunteers.

We have a suggestion that we believe should be seriously considered by the government as a permanent solution to the problems raised by school travel and perhaps this is something that both the Liberals and Conservatives will work together on to bring a solution to what we believe has become travel chaos.

We know that the Department of Education has all kinds of employees who are assigned any number of specialized tasks, from assistant deputy ministers to curriculum development, from teachers aides to learning consultants and communications officers. All you have to do is look at the Department of Education website and click on "employees" to see how many people work there and the kinds of jobs they do. Check it out, you'd be surprised to see how many employees there are at the Department of Education. Click here for Employees Directory

We believe it is time to set aside some funds dedicated solely to transportation safety. We believe there should be at least one individual whose sole responsibility is to gather all the information available on weather and travel conditions on days when school children are travelling to and from sports events. This person would be in contact with Environment Canada, Department of Transportation, the Department of Education, the RCMP and local police forces.

This office should be open as long as any students may be impacted by adverse travel conditions and have the exclusive authority to get students off the road including unscheduled overnight stays. This office must be neutral, act on its own decisions and separate from influences of any kind. The responsibilities would have to be clearly defined. and resources re-allocated, but it is an idea that is clearly worth discussing.

The Van Angels FACEBOOK Site set up by supporter

THE VAN ANGELS FACEBOOK SITE

We were told that a supporter has set up a FACEBOOK site in support of our call for changes to the Coroners Act. If you have a FACEBOOK account, you can join by searching for "The Van Angels".

This was totally unexpected and we really appreciate people doing things like this on their own. Apparently they have a petition and a lot of people have already joined.

Thank you so much for helping us to raise awareness of the need for changes to the Coroners Act and for a Van Angels law!!

Department of Education Says it's not Responsible for Students who Participate In Extra-Curricular Activities "Not Part of Curriculum"

After the new policies on transportation of children to extra-curricular events were released on Friday, February 27, we immediately got a copy on line and read the documents. There was a lot of coverage in the media and some interesting questions were raised so that same day, Friday February 27, and on Monday, March 2, then again on Wednesday March 4, we called the Director of Communications, Ron White at the Department to ask for clarification of some points raised by the new policies. Mr. White has taken over the duties for this file from Valerie Kilfoil, who was our former contact at the Department.



One of the things we wanted to know was which Department of government is responsible for children who are travelling to extra-curricular events? These children are travelling, after all, to school organized and supported events. We know that the Department of Transportation is inspecting and maintaining the new vehicles, then charging the schools - not the Department of Education, but the actual schools who fundraise for these buses - for the costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the multifunctional buses.

We reiterate. The Department of Education does NOT pay for the inspection and maintenance. The schools have to fundraise to pay for their operation, inspection and maintenance.

So not only does the Department of Education NOT own the new multifunctional buses, but they are not responsible for the students either when they are attending extra-curricular events.

"Sports isn't part of the curriculum" we were told by Department of Education spokesperson, Ron White.

What do you think of that?

If the Department of Education doesn't own the vehicles who does? Do the schools own them? What's the structure? Is it another situation like before, with for-profit companies like Bathurst Van Inc.? We want to know who owns these vehicles.

And if the Department of Education is not responsible for students travelling to school related, extra-curricular events, then who is???

It's a pretty simple question. Can we get a simple answer?

Who Owns the New Vehicles at Bathurst High School? Not the Department of Education!

We tried to find out who owns the new multifunction buses at Bathurst High School but we didn't have much success with the Department of Education's media spokesperson, Ron White.

He didn't know who would own the multifunctional buses and told me that it could be the Department of Transportation. This seems like a pretty basic issue and we were surprised that he did not know who owned the vehicles.

He did know that they would be registered in the name of the Province of New Brunswick, because that's what it says in the new Policy.




About the only good thing we have to say about the new Policy 512 is found in section 6.14, that all regular maintenance on extra-curricular activity vehicles shall be performed at a Department of Transportation or DOT-approved facility.

This is one of the changes we have been asking the Department of Education for since August, 2008. We are pleased that the Department added this to the new Policy 512.

Interestingly, however, neither the Departments of Education or Transportation intend to pay for the maintenance and inspections. According to Section 6.12, the schools will pay through their fundraising efforts. "School-raised funds are required to cover costs associated with the operation and maintenance of extra-curricular activity vehicles."

These are the brand new multifunctional vehicles in Bathurst that were donated after the terrible crash last year that killed our sons Javier and Daniel.

They are excellent vehicles and we hope other schools will be able to fundraise enough money to buy similar ones. But we still want to know who, in the end, is going to own these new vehicles? One would think that if the schools fundraise the money to buy or maintain them, that the schools would own the vehicles. And if the schools are part of the Department of Education, than it wouldn't be a leap to think that the Department of Education owns the vehicles, would it?

Many people are surprised to find out that the 15 passenger van in which our sons were killed that night was owned by a for-profit company called Bathurst Van Inc. that was headed by a Board of Directors including the Bathurst High School principal, two vice-principals and a school teacher. We understand that these for-profit companies will no longer own vehicles to transport children. If that's the case, who owns these new multifunctional buses if the Departments of Education or Transportation do not?

Parents, it's time to speak out on Class 2 Drivers or your children could be next

We are asking parents to get involved in the fight to get Class 2 drivers driving the new multifunctional buses that are being purchased around the province. If you look at the size of these vehicles you will know in your heart that they should be driven by Class 2 Drivers, trained, professional drivers who drive yellow school buses. These new vehicles will replace the 15 passenger vans that were banned after the devastating tragedy January 12, 2008 which killed our sons Javier and Daniel as well as six others. It is time that parents stand together and demand the best drivers for these vehicles.

Class 2 Drivers are Professional Drivers. Class 4 Drivers ARE NOT!!

We went looking for information about the licensing of Class 2 and Class 4 Drivers and found this interesting information on the Department of Public Safety website.

Department of Public Safety : New Brunswick Drivers Handbook
http://www.gnb.ca/0276/vehicle/english/handbk_e.asp

Licensing of Vehicles
http://www.gnb.ca/0276/vehicle/english/part1_e.pdf

It gives a thumbnail description of the qualifications required for Class 2 versus Class 4 drivers and even shows a picture of a bus for Class 2 drivers and a taxi for a Class 4 driver.

Ask yourself this: Would you want a coach, teacher, parent or other volunteer with a Class 4 license driving your children to an out of town sports event in one of these big buses at Bathurst High School or anywhere else in the province?

Who Is Going to Drive the New Vehicles at Bathurst High School and Elsewhere in NB?

New Multifunction Vehicles at Bathurst High School Need Class 2 Drivers

On Friday, March 6, we went to the government garage in East Bathurst because we knew that the new multifunction vehicles for BHS had been parked outside the garage as recently as the day before. Both of these vehicles had been donated to the High School and we were interested in seeing them for ourselves.

We went into the building and the people there were very friendly. They told us that the large red bus had been driven to the High School that very morning and it was parked in the parking lot.

So we went down to the Bathurst High School and saw the new vehicles in the parking lot. They are really impressive, beautiful looking vehicles, constructed by Thomas, which makes the yellow school buses.

It gives you confidence knowing that these buses are steel reinforced and if there was ever an accident that the survival rate of the passengers would be greatly increased. But it makes us sad because we know that our boys would still be alive today if they had been in one of these two multifunctional buses last January. It took their deaths for these changes to take place.

However safe these buses are, the changes made by the Department of Education do not go far enough. We are still extremely concerned about who is going to drive these vehicles. We want Class 2 Drivers to drive these vehicles. Class 2 Drivers drive yellow schools buses and they have higher standards of training.

Class 4 Drivers are not trained professionals. The drivers will be the same as before, teachers, coaches and parents who volunteer their time to help get their children to extra-curricular events. They are not trained to drive these large vehicles and although they may be well intentioned, they simply do not have the skills set, the experience or the training to be entrusted with our precious childrenen.

We'll Be Commenting on the Policies Shortly

We had to take some time to review the new Policies 512 and 513, which replace Guidelines 512 and 513 of the New Brunswick Department of Education.

We aren't experts and it's not easy for us to decipher the legalese but we'd rather take our time and do it right than make mistakes in our analysis. So please bear with us as we have plenty to say about the new Policies 512 and 513 for transporting children to extra-curricular activities.

Bottom line is that they don't go far enough.

If you want to read the Guidelines 512 and 513, click here to read our previous post on this issue.