Author: FFP Ai Bot

ATTICA — A Seneca East Local Schools bus driver will be behind the wheel against the best drivers in Ohio on Saturday after finishing first at her regional School Bus Safety Road-E-O.

Teresa Felter, a bus driver and onboard instructor for the district, scored 741 out of a possible 800 points at the regional competition on Oct. 3, according to reporting by the Advertiser-Tribune shared by Scanner Media. That earned her a spot at the state competition on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Berlin High School in Delaware.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce confirms the schedule: regional contests were held statewide on Oct. 3, and the top six drivers from each region advance to the state event. Drivers who place in the top six at state can move on to the International School Bus Safety Competition in Austin, Texas, in June 2027.

Felter said she is the only Seneca County driver competing at state this year.

Tested on the everyday basics, with no room for error

The Road-E-O measures the same skills drivers use on their routes, only with far tighter scoring. Drivers are judged on how they handle railroad crossings, how precisely they stop at a line, whether they can turn without touching a curb and how well they work through narrow spaces and depth-perception courses. They also take a written test on Ohio school transportation laws and rules.

During the student pickup and drop-off events, judges watch whether drivers follow each step in order, such as setting the parking brake and putting the bus in neutral before opening the door, checking traffic, using hand signals and giving students clear directions.

The inspection event gets harder at state. Felter said drivers get eight minutes to find five planted problems during a pre-trip inspection, down from 12 minutes at the regional level. A defect could be as simple as a burned-out light, a loose item, a first-aid kit missing supplies or a missing fire extinguisher.

“It’s just more precise,” Felter said of how the contest compares with her daily work.

17 years of competing

Felter has entered the voluntary competition for 17 years. She has done well at state before: Seneca East reported that she finished second out of 42 drivers at the state Road-E-O in May 2025, when her Northwest regional team took first place.

As an onboard instructor, she trains new drivers for Seneca East and Hopewell-Loudon. She said competing keeps her own skills sharp and gives her more to pass along to trainees. To get ready, she practices and reviews Ohio’s laws, and she said the state written test is the tougher one.

“You’re competing against yourself,” she said.

Under state rules, drivers who score at least 80 percent at a regional or state Road-E-O can use it to meet the driving-skills part of their certification renewal, according to the Department of Education and Workforce.

Felter also encouraged people to think about becoming school bus drivers, saying districts need them. Seneca East Local Schools congratulated her on the regional win and wished her luck at state.

#SenecaEast #Attica #SenecaCounty #SchoolBusSafety

Sources

• Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: School Bus Safety Road-e-o Competitions, October 3 and 17, 2026 – https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Finance-and-Funding/School-Transportation/School-Transportation-Safety/School-Bus-Driver-Safety-Road-e-o
• Advertiser-Tribune: Seneca East bus driver competing in state safety contest (October 2026) – https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/1533091/seneca-east-bus-driver-competing-in-state-safety-contest/
• Scanner Media (Facebook): Seneca East bus driver Teresa Felter qualifies for state competition (Oct. 16, 2026) – https://www.facebook.com/scannermedia.net/posts/pfbid02JSbP2joerye7UMrp471icbYLaFjLwXhA6zsY8MXEYsnWpjmGNtmv9gC35n8g3wiRl
• Seneca East Local Schools: Seneca East’s Teresa Felter Places 2nd in the State School Bus Safety Road-E-O (May 13, 2025) – https://www.se-tigers.com/article/2211836