Lee County School District officials told the school board on Sept. 9 they expanded bus and site safety training this summer to include active‑shooter scenarios, de‑escalation techniques and full reunification exercises involving law enforcement and school staff.

The trainings included hands‑on exercises at practice sites, simulated active‑shooter scenarios on buses and a large reunification drill at the Lee Civic Center designed to test how staff, law enforcement and families would reunite students with parents after a large incident. "The drivers absolutely love the training," said Dave Newland, who presented the safety update. "A lot of them were very excited to try something new."

Why it matters: School buses leave campus every school day carrying students beyond campus safety perimeters. The district said it is treating buses as a distinct vulnerability and is investing staff time to prepare drivers and attendants for rare but high‑risk incidents.

District transportation executive Jared McKinney described summer sessions that paired transportation staff with academics, HR, health services and exceptional student education staff to provide hands‑on practice. "A happy bus is just creating a culture and environment where kids feel safe and actually respected," McKinney said, describing part of the training emphasis on drivers' verbal de‑escalation and tone.

Officials also described a full‑scale reunification exercise the district ran with law enforcement and school administration to test procedures for verifying parent identity, checking photo IDs and processing large numbers of family reunifications. The district added two or three more designated reunification locations after the exercise and said it will incorporate bus scenarios into future site rehearsals.

Board members praised the approach and asked for performance details. Trustee Giovinelli asked how the district’s new start‑time schedule is affecting on‑time pickup and arrival; Newland and McKinney said morning on‑time arrival rates had improved from the 70s into the 90s, with afternoon figures nearer the 80s. McKinney said the district is tracking progress weekly and will continue to refine routes and training.

Next steps and partnerships: The district said it will continue active‑shooter and tactical communication training at multiple locations, expand partnerships with local law enforcement for bus‑specific drills, and roll out refined procedures for drivers and attendants to follow during critical incidents. Officials emphasized the training is intended to reduce risk by increasing staff awareness and improving communication rather than to escalate response options.

Board members said they want to see follow‑up metrics, and transportation staff said they will continue weekly updates on punctuality and will report learner safety drills and outcomes to the board.