CHAPTER 544

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
22-276.1, to provide what persons shall not be employed as an operator
or chauffeur to drive a school bus.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia be amended by adding a section numbered
22-276.1 as follows:

§ 22-276.1. No school board or superintendent of schools of any
county or city shall hire, employ, or enter into any agreement with any
person for the purposes of operating a school bus transporting pupils
aiter ouy 1, 1962, unless the person proposed to so operate such school

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(a) Furnish a certificate signed by a physician licensed by this State
attesting that such physician has examined the applicant within the thirty
days preceding the date of the application for such employment and that
applicant has no symptoms of hypertension, cardiac disease, diabetes,
epilepsy, paralysis of any type, and is otherwise, from the observation of
ae physician, physically and mentally capable of operating a school bus
safely.

As used in this paragraph “physically able’ means having two hands,
two feet, two eyes, the normal use of the foregoing, normal hearing, to-
wit, the ability to hear the spoken voice from a distance of fifteen feet
with each ear separately, visual acuity, to-wit, minimal vision of 20/70 in
each eye separately with a minimal binocular vision corrected to 20/40
and normal visual fields and normal color perception;

(b) Furnish a statement from the Division of Motor Vehicles that
the records of such Division do not disclose that the applicant, within the
preceding five years, has been convicted upon a charge of either driving
under the influence of intoxicating liquors or drugs, or a felony involving
the use of a motor vehicle.

(c) Furnish a statement signed by two reputable citizens of the
county or city that applicant is a person of good moral character.

(d) Exhibit a license showing the applicant has successfully under-
taken the examination prescribed by § 46.1-370.

(e) Be between the ages of 16 and 65 years, both inclusive, at the
time of signing such contract.

The statements above required shall be filed with, and made a part
of, the records of the superintendent of schools and/or school boards of
the county or city employing such person as a school bus operator.

The State Department of Education shall prescribe and furnish to
the several superintendents of schools throughout the State the necessary
forms to be used by applicants in furnishing the information required by
this section; insofar as practicable, such forms shall be designed as to limit
paper work, avoid the possibility of mistake, and furnish all parties
involved with a complete and accurate record of the information required.
The State Department of Education shall seek the advice of the Medical
Society of Virginia in the preparation of such forms.

An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.