Lawmakers seek greater scrutiny of school buses

School van
Drivers of school vans like this one, in downtown St. Paul on Tuesday, don't need to pass extra tests, physical exams or drug screens like the drivers of traditional yellow buses. Lawmakers say they'd like to change that in the wake of a fatal van accident in May, 2007, that killed a 14-year-old student and her driver.
MPR Photo/Tim Nelson

State Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris, said Monday he wants to establish a state bus safety office.

He plans to introduce a bill that will dedicate four troopers to the program.

It will also increase the number of inspectors statewide from 12 to 15.

Bill Berglund said it comes too late to save his daughter.

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Amanda Berglund, 14, was killed near Forest Lake last May when a school van taking her home rear-ended a school bus.

The van driver had been smoking marijuana and had drugs in the vehicle.

Berglund and his wife Karen told their story to a Senate committee.

"In a way, I feel like our daughter was murdered," said Berglund. "Not, not. It wasn't an accident. If people had been doing their jobs, and should have been doing them responsibly, she'd have been home safe, and we'd still have her here. It's just such a shame."

A state legislative auditor's report this winter said drivers of schools vans and cars should be held to the same standards and subject to the same checks as traditional bus drivers.

It also said the state needs to have better oversight of student transportation overall.