Nine Streetsboro City Schools bus drivers demonstrated their commitment to student safety Saturday, Oct. 4, participating in the Northeast Ohio Regional School Bus Safety Road-e-o at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent.
The Road-e-o is a competitive skills challenge where school bus drivers from across the region test their abilities in a safe, controlled environment. The daylong competition tested drivers' operational and driving skills through written exams, pre-trip vehicle inspections and nine challenging driving events designed to mirror real-world scenarios drivers encounter daily. The drivers volunteered their Saturday to refine the skills that keep students safe every school day.
"It's honing in on your bus safety and bus procedures," said Paula McCabe, a 15-year Streetsboro bus driver and on-board instructor who served as head judge for the turnaround event. "It helps remind them and refresh their skills."
Six Streetsboro drivers competed in the event: team members Petrina Twigger, Courtney Tuma, Von Starkey and Dawn Schuttenberg, plus individual competitors Dan Corlett and Tia Simmons. Wayne Simmons and Peggy Thomas volunteered as judges alongside McCabe.
The team placed fourth overall in team awards, adding to Streetsboro's spring 2025 Rookie Award for fielding more first-time competitors than any other participating district.
Saturday's regional competition drew 44 contestants representing nine school districts across Northeast Ohio, including Stow, Ravenna, Revere and West Branch. Participants navigated challenges such as railroad crossings, diminishing clearance courses, serpentine maneuvers and student pickup and dropoff procedures—all while judges tallied demerits for errors.
Drivers started with 700 points, with deductions for mistakes ranging from failing to wear seatbelts to hitting cones during precision driving events. Drivers who achieve 80% or higher can use their performance to satisfy Ohio's six-year recertification requirement, eliminating the need for a traditional driving test with an on-board instructor.
"It's very difficult to get a perfect score," McCabe said. "I don’t think I've ever seen one. But the overall idea is to score a certain percentage so the event serves as your recertification."
The competition's most challenging elements tested skills drivers use daily. The offset street event, which requires navigating between narrow barriers while changing lanes, proved particularly difficult.
"People struggle the most with the offset because it's very narrow and it's very hard to judge the length," McCabe explained. "If people competed in the buses they drive on their daily routes they would do much better. But driving a new bus poses another level of difficulty."
For the turnaround event McCabe judged, the state committee recently modified the course design to better reflect real-world driving conditions while preventing bus damage.
The event tests both technical skills and critical safety procedures. Drivers typically excel at executing the proper sequence during student pickup and drop-off, though competition protocols require detailed verbal instructions—language most drivers use primarily at the beginning of each school year or with new students rather than on routine daily routes.
A recently added post-trip inspection, worth 700 points, requires drivers to demonstrate the crucial "no student left behind" bus check.
McCabe's involvement extends beyond competition day. As a three-year member of the Ohio School Bus Safety Road-e-o State Committee representing the Ohio Education Association union, she helps coordinate events statewide and practices with Streetsboro drivers throughout the year.
"I send our participating drivers questions to help them prepare for the written exam, random questions that are from the Ohio Revised Code," she said. McCabe also helps to set up practice courses in empty lots, allowing drivers to hone their skills using district equipment.
Two weeks before the competition, drivers attended a "Bring Your Own Bus" practice session where they could bring their district buses and practice most of the course events on their own time.
The regional competition ran most of the day, with contestants sequestered in a common area between events to ensure fairness. The host school organized games and activities while participating districts brought food to share, fostering conversation among competitors.
"There is good camaraderie," McCabe said. "You get to meet other drivers from other districts, and you get to talk with other people about what your district is doing and maybe catch up with former co-workers from other districts."
The top six individual finishers from the regional competition advance to the state competition Oct. 18 at Berlin High School in Delaware. State champions will qualify for the International School Bus Safety Competition in Texas in June 2026. The state event will launch National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 20-24, with the theme "Scare Up Bus Safety."
The dedication displayed by the Streetsboro drivers—from voluntary practice sessions to the actual competition—reflects a commitment that extends to every route, every stop and every student these drivers serve throughout the school year.
