W-b Area 
City Asks Board 
To Give Back Taxes 
From Percy Brown's 
The Solicitor Says The City 
Needs The Money To Pay For Past 
Costs And Help Offset Future Costs

Another Spartan Effort 
Wyoming Valley West Should Roll To League Championship Once Again

Tuesday, December 15, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D/2D QUICK WORDS: DALLAS SCHOOL BUS
SAFETY CHILDREN 





Dallas considering bus safety devices &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ************************** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; TIMES LEADER GRAPHIC/KEVIN O'NEILL &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Dallas schoold district is considering two school bus safety devices: a
swing gate to prevent students from walking too close to the front of the bus
and a sensor system to detect students close to the
bus************************** &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 School district and its bus contractors are lookingat gates and sensor
systems &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By JAMES RUBIN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 DALLAS -- The Dallas School District is considering two bus safety devices
that might have prevented the accident that claimed a student's life seven
weeks ago. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Information on the devices, a sensor system and a crossing gate, was
presented Monday night to members of the school board. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Neither the sensors nor the gate are required by the state. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In October, Mitchell Patrick Brown, a 14-year-old student at Dallas Junior
High School, was struck after exiting his bus and crossing in front out of the
driver's sightline. It is unclear if the teenager dropped something and
stooped down to pick it up. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm sure the accident has made us more aware so that we are looking at
these measures to improve safety," district Superintendent Gerald Wycallis
said Monday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We want to do everything humanly possible to enhance the safety in our
transportation of students," Wycallis said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At Monday night's meeting, Bob Paley of The Phasor Corp., a Dallas
engineering company which specializes in ultrasonics, gave a demonstration of
his system which warns bus drivers of the presence of a student in blind spots
around a school bus. The sensors, which can be placed at the front and rear
bumpers and wheel well areas, alert the driver by sounding a high-pitched
sound. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Also at the meeting, Wycallis showed a videotape demonstrating a crossing
gate, which was developed in the mid-1970s by Specialty Manufacturing Co., a
North Carolina company. The gate extends from the front bumper and guides
children to walk seven to 10 feet in front of the bus in full view of the
driver. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wycallis said Specialty told him it would cost about $200 per bus to outfit
the fleet of 26 buses that serves the district. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dallas has a contract with Emanuel Bus Line to transport 2,732 students
daily. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Peggy Ingle, specialty marketing administrator for Specialty Manufacturing,
said the company has a trial plan that would enable Emanuel to outfit 10
percent of its buses at no cost for eight to 10 weeks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The district or contractor could then buy the gates and outfit the
remainder of the fleet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ingle said the trial usually convinces prospective customers that the gates
are worth the money. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We have had very, very, very few people who have sent them back," she
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The gate is required in six states -- North and South Carolina, Georgia,
Washington, Florida and Virginia. Its requirement is pending in three others
-- West Virginia, Delaware and Nevada. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The sensor system would cost about $1,000 installed per bus, according to
Paley. Its design is patented by Phasor which has used the same technology on
valves at the nuclear power plant operated by Pennsylvania Power &amp; Light Co.
in Berwick. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wycallis said the presentations are preliminary. "We are just investigating
these devices at this point," he said. "We'll provide Emanuel with the
information and if he decides to install them -- terrific! If not, we'll have
to go on from that point." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In other business, the board: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Approved 4 percent raises for the district's administrative staff on a 7-2
vote. Board member Ernest Ashbridge, one of the dissenters, said he felt the
raises should have been based more on merit. John George also voted against
the raises. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The approved 1992-93 salaries are: Superintendent Gerald Wycallis, $71,520;
Gilbert Griffiths, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction,
$55,522; Frank Galicki, senior high principal, $48,798; Ruth Tetschner, Dallas
Elementary principal, $53,962; Anthony Martinelli, Middle School principal,
$48,640; Samuel Barbose, Westmoreland Elementary principal, $49,499; Charlotte
Williams, business manager, $39,280; Richard Morgan, acting supervisor of
Building and Grounds, $37,833. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Heard Wycallis gave a progress report on the switch from an eight period
day to a seven period day which went into effect in September 1992. Wycallis
said the longer class periods will result in 96 more hours of teaching in core
subjects such as math, science, English and history. The program also results
in a decrease in study halls, which Wycallis called "the most significant
item." Study halls decreased from 946 to 564 in the Junior High and from 150
to 55 in the Senior High.

Dallas Considering Bus Safety Devices 
************************** 
Times Leader Graphic/kevin O'neill 
The Dallas Schoold District Is Considering Two School Bus Safety Devices: A 
Swing Gate To Prevent Students From Walking Too Close To The Front Of The Bus 
And A Sensor System To Detect Students Close To The Bus.