The school bus came to a rest against a light pole after smashing into a parked gravel truck. (Chris Bolin/Canadian Press)

A ban on using cellphones and mandatory drug testing for school bus drivers are among the recommendations suggested to a judge leading a Calgary inquiry into a student's death.

Kathelynn Occena, 9, was killed when the school bus she was aboard drifted on to the shoulder of Crowchild Trail in October 2007. It crashed into a parked gravel truck that had pulled over for mechanical problems and then hit a light pole.

Eleven other children on the 30-passenger bus were taken to hospital, including Occena's younger sister.

Alberta Justice lawyer Nancy McCurdy included about a dozen recommendations in her final submissions on Wednesday for Calgary provincial court Judge Bruce Fraser to consider.

The inquiry has heard that bus driver Louise Rogers had several complaints against her for distracted and aggressive driving in the days leading up to the crash. She had also been taking antidepressants and sleeping pills for personal problems.

McCurdy suggested school bus drivers be given a drug test upon being hired and on a regular basis after that. Drivers should also have to tell employers of any mental health issues and be assessed by a health professional before being allowed to drive, McCurdy advised.

McCurdy's other recommendations included:

• Ban the use of handheld devices while driving.
• Improve training standards by small school-bus operators.
• Require a medical professional's note before a driver who has been struggling with mental health issues can return to work.
• Formulate a policy for handling driver complaints.
• Install video surveillance on buses.

Fraser can make final non-binding recommendations about training and bus safety to prevent similar incidents but he cannot lay blame.

"There have been some good recommendations … made today. And in terms of overall school bus safety for all riders of a school bus in Alberta, perhaps some of those will be adopted," said Sunil Mattu, chief operating officer for Third Academy, Occena's school, which runs its own school buses.

Rogers testified that she was listening to an iPod, but not using a cellphone when the crash happened. She told the inquiry she has no recollection of the collision.

Rogers pleaded guilty in September 2008 to a single charge of careless driving under the Traffic Safety Act. She was fined $2,300 — the maximum penalty allowed — and her driver's licence was suspended for 90 days.