U.S. school bus system vulnerable to attack
Billions of dollars have been invested in shoring up security for ports, railways, motor coaches, and air travel — but practically nothing has been done to improve security of buses carrying millions of children every day to and from school; President Bush gave TSA a year to develop a national assessment of school bus security, but TSA has yet to develop such a plan
Imagine this nightmare scenario: Three bombs explode simultaneously, each on a different school bus in a different city across the country. “Imagine the economic impact if parents weren’t confident their children would be secure when they take the bus to school,” said Derek Graham, president of a national group of school transportation directors and the transportation chief for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. “The nation’s school bus system is the largest system of public transportation. It’s just very vulnerable. We’ve been concerned about that for quite some time.” This is why school bus drivers are being trained to spot suspicious activity and why, in some districts, drivers peek under their buses every morning in search of anything odd. Graham and other school transportation leaders fear that the federal government is not taking their concerns about terrorism seriously, however. The federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has yet to begin a safety assessment which Congress ordered in August. The agency has poured billions of dollars into shoring up security for ports, railways, motor coaches, and air travel
