Peabody votes to support state bill requring bus driver first aid training

PEABODY-Peabody School Committee members voted last week to support a state bill that would require contractors to train their bus drivers in first aid before issuing a license.The bill, originally drafted nearly 20 years ago by State Representative John J. Binienda of Worcester, would also place drivers under Massachusetts?s Good Samaritan laws to protect them from being sued if their efforts are unsuccessful.Committee member Beverly Ann Griffin Dunne brought the bill to the attention of her colleagues after reading two letters written by Peabody mother Leandra LeClerc, whose son was once hurt while riding the bus.LeClerc?s letter, however, came in response to the accidental death of a 5-year-old Marlborough student who choked while riding the bus home last January. She asked the Committee to support House Bill 4396, An Act Relative to the Licensing of School Bus Drivers, to help make Peabody buses the safest around.?The bus driver is the only one who can help a child until 911 arrives,” she wrote. “This could make the difference in a life, permanent brain damage, or permanent disabilities.”?This seems like a very good bill to support,” said Dunne, who proposed the Committee to send a letter to state Reps. Joyce Spiliotis and Ted Speliotis.Brandi Carpenter quickly backed Dunne?s motion.?I?ve always said that anyone who comes into contact with kids should be trained in CPR and First Aid,” she said.Committee member Dave McGeney said he supports the bill, but is weary on the cost impact.Dunne assured him that it wasn?t something the city would have to fund, as it would become part of the requirements for a company to sign a contract with Peabody.At the request of the Committee, Superintendent Milton Burnett sent letters of support to both representatives. He said that he, too, believes the bill to be “a good idea” since Peabody?s bus drivers are currently not required to be certified in CPR or First Aid.