Gearing up for school: NE Ohio bus drivers receive emergency training

LODI, Ohio (WJW) -- As students gear up for a new school year, bus drivers in Medina County are also preparing — not just for routes, but for potential emergencies.

Thursday afternoon in Lodi, around 150 school bus drivers from across the county participated in a hands-on safety course: the School Transportation Active Threat Response Training, or START.

“The buses are checked all the time, but nobody has ever talked to drivers about how to recognize a threat — or how to handle it,” said Jim Levine, CEO of START.

Levine said bus drivers are often the first adults to interact with students each day. That’s why START emphasizes the role they play in spotting early warning signs.

“Who better to notice red flags than a bus driver who sees these kids every single day — sometimes for years?”