Safety

The safety of our students while on the bus is always a priority for Confluence and First Student.

Every bus that’s assigned to a route for Confluence Academies is inspected by a state-licensed inspector before the start of every new school year. In the spring, buses are inspected by the Missouri Highway Patrol. The results of the inspections are reported to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, commonly known as DESE.

For their upkeep of buses, First Student has earned recognition by DESE with the Exemplary School Bus Maintenance Award for scoring more than 90% on its annual inspections.

Preventative maintenance schedules are part of the safety expectations for Confluence. At a minimum, each bus is scheduled for preventative maintenance every three months. There are six types of maintenance services conducted, based on the miles driven and the days since the last preventative maintenance. First Student drivers are trained to identify issues or concerns with buses and to report them to a supervisor. Concerns are addressed as they’re reported. For example, if a bus driver feels the bus isn’t safe because of an issue, the bus is taken out of service, even if it’s in the middle of a route. First Student will send a different bus to pick up the students to get them home safely.

You should also know that First Student drivers are expected to do a pre-trip and post-trip inspection each day to ensure buses are in top performance.

For more information related to safety features of the buses, or for safety tips you can use with your student, please see the Bus Safety Features and School Bus Safety Tips guides posted on this page.