BY MIRIAM SMITH
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP -- Hale Husband wants to reassure residents who heard about a Kings school district bus that had to stop last week because of overheated brakes.
Mr. Husband, a member of the Kings Local school board, said during Tuesday's meeting that a bus had problems with its brakes while transporting students and fans to a football game in Miamisburg on Friday.
Richard Porter, district transportation director, said the brakes overheated after the bus went down a long and steep hill. He said it was an incident that "could happen to any vehicle in that type of situation."
Another braking incident last month sent 75 students to hospitals. A valve had malfunctioned, according to the district's investigation. In the incident last month, district officials recently cleared bus driver Joyce Toppen of wrongdoing after discovering a mechanical problem involving a valve inside the brake system.
A mechanic for another district confirmed Kings' findings. Mr. Porter also reported this kind of failure can't be detected when the driver checks the bus before the route or during general maintenance work.
Mrs. Toppen was cited for failure to maintain an assured clear distance. She entered a not guilty plea in Mason Municipal Court on Oct. 19 and a trial is scheduled for Nov. 2.
After the bus was stopped last Friday in Miamisburg, a mechanic driving another Kings bus checked the brakes and determined they were working well enough to continue the trip, Mr. Porter said. "We have found nothing wrong with that bus," Mr. Porter said. "We simply believe the brakes overheated because of a long, steep hill grade."
The driver reported having a hard time stopping and felt it was "brake fade," which occurs when brakes overheat, Mr. Porter said.
At the board's next meeting, Mr. Husband said he wants to "get a good feel for what kind of maintenance is happening with buses and that we are up to standards so the community gets a sense of what's going on in the maintenance department."
Mr. Husband said he heard that some students on the bus stopped last Friday were then moved to another bus. Mr. Porter said his mechanic told him no youngsters were moved.
"You always try to be proactive and make sure it doesn't happen again and that we've actually looked at everything," Mr. Husband said.
Superintendent David Query said he doesn't have a problem with having an update on bus maintenance at the next board meeting in November.
The district's buses went through and passed an annual inspection given by the Ohio State Patrol last summer, Mr. Porter said.
The buses are kept on a service maintenance program.
"All I can say is our buses are inspected and maintained as well or better than any other district in the area," Mr. Porter said.
