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St. Francis transportation employee says position eliminated after new bus-endorsement requirement
Summary
At the Feb. 9 St. Francis Area Schools board meeting, resident employee Don Nafla said he was told his transportation role would be eliminated unless he obtained a bus endorsement. He said health restrictions prevent meeting the medical requirement and urged the district to retain a transportation safety role; the board did not take formal action on the complaint.
At the St. Francis Area Schools board meeting on Feb. 9, resident and district transportation employee Don Nafla told the board he was told late last year that his position would be eliminated unless he obtained a bus endorsement. "I was then told I would lose my position as it would be eliminated," Nafla said during the public-comment period.
Nafla said he had applied for a transportation position through Indeed in January 2025 and had been doing that job since being hired. He said human resources told him the job would be reposted under a different title — "transportation manager assistant" — that would require a bus endorsement. He said he holds a Class A commercial driver’s license but cannot obtain the necessary medical certification because of a knee injury and obstructive sleep apnea; he said his medical waiver with the state of Minnesota has been in place since 2022. "Without a health care, you cannot get a bus and door," he said.
Jennifer, who identified herself as "Don's wife," also addressed the board and urged the district not to remove an experienced safety manager. She said the transportation department is small and questioned taking staff who know routing and safety out of office roles to serve as substitute drivers. "I just think there's gotta be a better way of long term," she said.
Nafla urged the district to retain a safety specialist who understands rules and laws and described work he said he had done as transportation safety manager, including updating driver files and installing cameras in vans. He also told the board the district had discussed a Minnesota law he said was signed May 25, 2023, with an official start date of Jan. 1, 2026.
Board leaders thanked the speakers for engaging and said comments would be addressed "if required," but there was no public response from HR or district leadership recorded during the meeting. The board then moved on to routine agenda items, including the consent agenda and administrative reports.
Because the testimony raised staffing, safety and accommodation questions, next steps would typically include follow-up by district HR or administration; the meeting record shows no immediate formal action on Nafla's complaint.
