Pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-1, all public-school bus drivers are required to be re-certified every two years through the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), Division of Pupil Transportation. Drivers trained last summer were MDE certified through July 31, 2021. Drivers whose MDE certificates expire on July 31, 2020, and all new drivers, must be scheduled for a driver training class this summer. Please complete and return the Bus Driver Training Request Form by May 11.
There will be two types of bus driver training classes this summer, Regular and Third Party.
- REGULAR CLASS – Drivers who attend this type of class are:
- Drivers who have a certificate expiring on July 31, 2020.
- New drivers who have a CDL permit with “P” and “S” endorsements.
- Drivers who had a chargeable accident during the 2019-2020 school year. It is the district’s responsibility to decide who must attend bus driver class for having a chargeable accident.
NOTE: A chargeable accident is defined as an accident involving a school bus that results in property damage and/or personal injury in which the driver failed to exercise every reasonable precaution to prevent the accident.
- THIRD-PARTY TESTING CLASS – Drivers who attend this type of class are:
- New drivers who have passed the knowledge test portion of the CDL requirement and have obtained a CDL permit with “P” and “S” endorsements.
- Drivers who need to upgrade their Class C CDL to Class B CDL.
- Drivers who need to add the “P” or “S” endorsements to the CDL.
If you have any questions, please contact Lawren M. Long at (601) 359-1028 or llong@mdek12.org.