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Canton superintendent says bus stopped on crossing arm; district orders retraining and safety fixes
Summary
Superintendent Follin described a recent bus-railroad crossing incident in which a substitute driver stopped with the crossing arm on the bus. The district says it has engaged First Student, MBTA and town staff, repainted stop lines, rerouted some buses and will report corrective actions in January.
Superintendent Follin told the school committee the district is investigating a safety incident in which a school bus approached a railroad crossing, came to a slow stop and "the crossing arm came down, was on the bus." He said the vehicle stopped at an angle and visibility was poor during rain, and that a substitute driver "did not stop in the appropriate area."
Follin said the district immediately notified law enforcement, the bus contractor First Student and the MBTA, and has taken short-term steps to reduce risk. "We have re-routed buses so they are no longer going to cross that" problematic crossing, the superintendent said, and staff repainted missing stop lines this week after learning the markings were absent. "They are taking full accountability and full measures to have corrective action around it," Follin said of First Student, adding the company is retraining drivers and has engaged a federal safety partner to support training.
The district reported that it has contacted families of children who were on the bus and coordinated with the town to replace safety poles and paint stop lines to MBTA specifications. Follin also said the district asked First Student for written corrective plans and will return to the committee in January with follow-up details from both First Student and the MBTA. "We engaged every agency that we could to address this," he said.
Committee members pressed for a broader review of crossings and asked the MBTA and town to inspect other nearby rail crossings to ensure they meet standards; Follin said the MBTA representative was "very responsive" and the town will pursue a wider review. Trustees and staff agreed this is an urgent safety priority; short-term operational changes (rerouting three buses off the crossing) were confirmed and one remaining bus route is being reworked.
The committee did not take a formal vote on additional measures at the meeting; the superintendent said written corrective actions and a fuller status report will be provided in January.
