Schools are already having enough problems with transportation funding, leave the seat belts alone/out of busses. School busses are built different than a passenger/greyhound type bus. Compartmental seating, they are close together, high back seats, very padded seats & seat backs. If the students are MADE to set correctly, meaning facing the front, feet on the floor, their book bags on their laps being held & the isle kept clear, then a school bus is one of the safest ways of transportation their is.

With seat belts added, you are going to cut your seating in half, (therefore doubling the number of busses/drivers/gas/insurance needed), PLUS your going to need to add an aide to each bus to make sure they get fastened & stay fastened. (Now you have an additional driver & 2 additional aide's.) A driver with a bus full of kids just can't do that. We can't be stopping every 2 minutes to make little Johnny get back in his seat & buckle him, keep him from wrapping his seat belt around the others kids necks or hitting them with the buckle. Every bus has a few little Johnnies too.

Seems like Republic school district just wants to make more money in before/after school day care they themselves are in charge of. I drive for another district & as long as the child actually lives inside the district, they can be dropped off/picked up anywhere in the district on any bus. We have students who might ride to one grandma 2 days a week, the other grandma 2 days a week & home 1 day & get on at a baby sitter in the AM. They are all mixed up & all we ask is for the school/admin/teachers have a days notice to set up a new stop if it is permanent or a quick note if a different stop is only for a day or so.

Something is definitly wrong with this situation at Republic, as no way should younger children have to be alone before or after school or parents made to miss work only because a bus can't drop off or pick up at a baby sitters. I think admin's need to get their heads out of the clouds long enough to see the problem.

Missouri residents can get an out of state CCW from Maine at 18 years old. Check the Maine state web site for the application & how to do it. Yes their are Maine certified instructors in the Springfield area, you just have to ask. I would recommend anyone going out of state & younger than 18 pick up a copy of this, "Highway Patrol's pamphlet SHP-863A" at the local HP headquarters. I personally know 3 people under age 21 who have Maine permits & do CCW 24/7.

St James in on I-44 east of Rolla, guessing without a map in front of me probably.............. oh 30-35 miles east, not close to Ft. Wood.

I'm a grandma & I plan on going shopping later this evening when it cools off a bit. Jabby & Valley I agree with you......... Thumbs up.

Check your facts before you speak moslowhand. I have driven a bus since 1986, way back then yes a chauffers liscense & you were good to go. Things have changed, we now get fingerprinted, (since 9-11), ran through FBI, the most complete criminal background check you ever seen is ran, driving history checked, must have A CDL liscense, with at least a class B rating at the minimun, (this class B pertains to the size & weight, not the old class B liscense, class A is tractor trailer & the additional weight),we have our DOT physicals, every year, we also have to have the additional endorsements to haul the most precious cargo anyone has ever hauled. Must have yearly verified training to keep our permits to haul children. We are held to the most strict liscense, endorsements, criminal & driving history. Approx 60% of the population could not hold up to the driving & criminal historys we have to go through. If anyone doubts my fact please go to Missouri DMV website & verify my facts for a school bus endorsement on a CDL lisense.

Even if it were not highway patrol, but construction signs, things such as these could be prevented. See my post directly above about yesterday, no signs I could see at all back where traffic was stopped then. I was within inches of hitting the car in front of me & the guy behind me did take the shoulder to avoid hitting me & we were watching & not speeding. My heart just goes out to the 2 kids familes that were killed, I can't imagine the pain they are feeling right now. Other kids scared beyond belief even though their injuries are not life threathening, they need our prayers also.

Waynesville, I started there in 1986 & drove there for 4 years. Yes we must pray for the students & families, this is horrible.

Until a full investigation is made on this accident, myself I could not make any judgements as to whom was at fault. All we can do is say God Bless the families of the 2 lives that were lost. Kiss your kids each morning & love them to the fullest as we never know what each day might bring.

Also just yesterday I drove this exact stretch of road coming back from St. Louis in my car. I believe this is where I hit the shoulder at. Crest of a hill, no construction signs out at all, (the actual construction was about 5-6 miles ahead), but I topped the hill at about 69 MPH & both lanes were completely stopped right on front of me. I got stopped in time but I left marks on the road & was ready to take the shoulder & ditch if necessary to keep from hitting anyone or getting rear ended myself. We ended up driving about 10-15 MPH the next about 6 miles, after we got to moving again. I feel if I had have been in a fully loaded bus at that time & not my car, I would have been looking for a way out as that much weight just won't stop as fast as a car does, even with the best of brakes. As far as traffic was backed up yesterday they should have had signs miles before they did, their was no mention of construction anywhere. I even made comment to my step daughter with me that "this is an accident waiting to happen if they don't get some signs back here".