District adds bus monitors, tightens incident response after parent complaints

Woodland Hills School District staff told the board Jan. 15 that the district has added bus monitors and tightened its response and family-notification procedures after complaints about student behavior on buses.

Dr. Eddie Wilson, who introduced the update, said the district runs 310 bus routes and described the complexity of coordinating transportation to many receiving schools. "These folks right here are in charge of busing students to 107 different schools every single day," he said, and thanked transportation staff for the logistical work.

Transportation supervisors described a series of operational and behavior-management changes implemented in December and restarted after the Christmas break. Presenters said the district hired four bus monitors, assigned one security officer to ride a bus, and used two vehicle monitors who were already in place. Staff also said the district had RTI interventionists deliver lesson plans in each building to teach students expected bus behavior and distributed family notices explaining how parents can support the effort.

On incident response, presenters described a chain-of-command protocol: when a driver reports an incident, the report goes to the school administration, which meets with involved students, conducts an investigation if needed, and applies progressive discipline consistent with classroom procedures. Presenters said the SRO is called for incidents where drivers request additional safety support and that drivers are "free and encouraged to call the police if that is necessary to ensure that there is order on the bus." Officer Vallez (security team) was named as the officer who responds when the driver requests police support.

District staff told the board the changes are already showing results on monitored routes. "Monitors have been on the buses for about 2 weeks. We started them after Christmas break, and incidents on those buses specifically ... have decreased," a presenter reported. The transportation office also reported an increase in incident reports submitted overall, which staff interpreted as better documentation rather than more events.

The district described a new family-notification step for incidents that involve police: principals will send a letter to families within 48 hours informing them an incident occurred on a bus and advising parents to talk with their children. Counselors and RTI interventionists will be available to students who witnessed trauma. The transportation office said it is staffed 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., aims to return phone calls within 12 hours and emails within 24 hours, and is working with garages and bus companies to ensure drivers submit incident reports to schools.

Why it matters: the transportation system serves students across the district and affects daily student safety and attendance. Changes to monitoring and notification affect how families learn about and respond to bus incidents.

Numbers and caveats: presenters said the district operates 310 bus runs and stated "3,000 kids in seat." The transcript includes a second numerical figure that was not clarified in the meeting audio (transcript excerpt: "23100"); staff did not restate or reconcile that number during the presentation.

What board members and speakers said: board members thanked transportation staff for the quick work to add monitors. One parent who spoke during public comment said a bus monitor placed on her daughter’s bus had been "wonderful thus far." Staff acknowledged ongoing challenges: some drivers were initially hesitant about the positive-reinforcement approach; staff said the district is working with drivers and garages to ensure consistent incident reporting.

Next steps: staff said they will continue to place monitors on high-incident routes, work with RTI teams to finish behavior lessons at each school, and maintain the new family-notification letter when police are involved.

Ending note: the district framed the changes as a "reset" of bus expectations and behavior management rather than a permanent reworking of routes or contracts; presenters noted hiring for bus monitors remains ongoing and depends on bus companies and applicant availability.