(a) A local board of education may not hire, employ, or enter into any agreement with any person for the purposes of operating a school bus transporting students to or from school or school related events, unless the person is physically qualified to drive a school bus. A person is physically qualified to drive a school bus if that person satisfies all of the following requirements:

(1) Has no loss of a foot, a leg, a hand, or an arm.

(2) Has no impairment of any of the following:

a. A hand or a finger which interferes with prehension or power grasping.

b. An arm, foot, or leg which interferes with the ability to perform normal tasks associated with operating a school bus.

c. Any other significant limb defect or limitation which interferes with the ability to perform normal tasks associated with operating a school bus.

(3) Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus requiring insulin for control.

(4) Has no current clinical diagnosis of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary insufficiency, thrombosis, or any other cardiovascular disease of a variety known to be accompanied by syncope, dyspnea, collapse, or congestive cardiac failure.

(5) Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of a respiratory dysfunction likely to interfere with his or her ability to control and safely operate a school bus.

(6) Has no current clinical diagnosis of high blood pressure likely to interfere with his or her ability to control and safely operate a school bus.

(7) Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of rheumatic, arthritic, orthopedic, muscular, neuromuscular, or vascular disease which interferes with his or her ability to control and safely operate a school bus.

(8) Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control and safely operate a school bus.

(9) Has no mental, nervous, organic, or functional disease or psychiatric disorder likely to interfere with his or her ability to control and safely operate a school bus.

(10) Has distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in each eye without corrective lenses or visual acuity separately corrected to 20/40 (Snellen) or better with corrective lenses, distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or without corrective lenses, field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal meridian in each eye, and the ability to recognize the colors of traffic signals and devices showing standard red, green, and amber.

(11) First perceives a forced whispered voice in the better ear at not less than five feet with or without the use of a hearing aid or, if tested by use of an audiometric device, does not have an average hearing loss in the better ear of greater than 40 decibels at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz with or without the use of a hearing aid when the audiometric device is calibrated to American National Standard, formerly ASA Standard, Z24.5–1951.

(12) Does not use a controlled substance identified in 21 CFR 1308.11 Schedule I, an amphetamine, a narcotic, or any other habit-forming drug. A driver may use such a substance or drug, if the substance or drug is prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner who is familiar with the medical history and assigned duties of the driver and has advised the driver that the prescribed substance or drug will not adversely affect his or her ability to control and safely operate a school bus.

(13) Has no current clinical diagnosis of alcoholism.

(b) Each local board of education shall do all of the following:

(1) Require each newly employed school bus driver, after acceptance of employment and before being allowed to operate a school bus, to pass a physical examination, at his or her own expense, as prescribed in subdivisions (1) to (13), inclusive, of subsection (a), and performed by a duly licensed physician.

(2) Require each school bus driver employed on May 14, 2012, to pass a physical examination, at his or her own expense, as prescribed in subdivisions (1) to (13), inclusive, of subsection (a), and performed by a duly licensed physician by August 14, 2012, and at least once every two years thereafter.

(3) Document the results of each physical examination on forms prescribed by the State Department of Education and maintain those results in the central office of the department.

(c) A driver holding a valid Alabama school bus driver certificate on or after May 14, 2012, may be grandfathered in for any condition provided in subsection (a) if the driver submits to the employing local board all of the following from a duly licensed physician who is familiar with the medical history of the driver and his or her assigned duties:

(1) A signed written statement that any condition the driver has will not adversely affect his or her ability to control and safely operate a school bus.

(2) A signed written waiver, on a form provided by the department.

(d) Failure to comply with this section shall result in the driver losing his or her Alabama School Bus Driver Certificate issued by the State Department of Education.