South Euclid-Lyndhurst school bus driver selected for Ohio mayor’s safety group

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (WOIO) - Earlier this week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced 14 people who will serve on the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group.

South Euclid-Lyndhurst school bus driver, Davida Russell, was selected to be on the committee.

Russell has been a bus driver for more than 40 years. She has experience driving babies in car seats to adults as old as 85 years old.

“It was very visionary for the governor to want to even put someone on the committee who is a bus driver because I think on a lot of different committees and things that’s happening out here, there is never the worker or the person that actually does the job where you can input from that says “nope that doesn’t work for bus drivers,” said Russell.

The Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group will examine several topics including school bus regulations, design, maintenance, inspections and seatbelts.

Seatbelts are not mandatory in Ohio.

However, DeWine formed the group after an 11-year-old boy was killed in a school bus crash in Clark County on August 22.

He was ejected from the school bus. A driver crashed into the bus, causing it to rollover.

“That’s a fear that we have every single day as a bus driver is making sure every student on the bus gets home safely and when that does not happen that is devastating,” said Russell.

Russell is asked to come to the table with ideas, thoughts and concerns.

She is open-minded and looks forward to hearing from others in the state.

“Maybe see some new viewpoints or maybe be educated on something I was aware of before I actually say what my feelings are,” said Russell.

Russell says the first meeting is set for Sept. 11 at 2 p.m.

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