Indiana joined the rest of the nation in mid-October in recognizing National School Bus Safety Week. Students, teachers, motorists, bus drivers and others joined forces to address the importance of school bus safety.
Every day our drivers travel 9,600 miles, with the support of 34 bus monitors, to get our students to and from their destinations. Our drivers cover 680 routes to pick up and drop off students as close as possible to their homes. Our students spend up to 90 minutes of their day – round-trip – on the bus, so drivers and their monitors have a great responsibility. They are responsible for our students’ safety.
Last spring several of our drivers were recognized for outstanding performance at the State Transportation Association of Indiana safety competition, where more than 100 drivers competed. We are proud that our drivers are among the best in the state. We also recognize it takes more than drivers to keep the transportation department moving forward. We could not keep the department running without the hard work and expertise of the office and mechanical staff. It is truly a team effort.
We also appreciate the efforts of our students and their family members who do their part to stay safe. As Daylight Saving Time comes to an end, the National Association for Pupil Transportation has published guidelines for students and parents who would like a refresher on safety practices:
• Place everything in the child’s backpack; don’t let a child hold items that could be dropped.
• Wear bright, contrasting colors so they will be more easily seen by drivers.
• Never run after the bus.
• Walk young children to the bus stop or encourage children to walk in groups.
• Walk on the sidewalk, and if there is no sidewalk stay out of the street.
• If a child must walk in the street, walk single file, face traffic and stay as close to the edge of the road as possible.
• Look both ways before crossing streets, driveways or alleys.
We value our transportation department for all that it does each day, and we are always looking to add drivers to the team. Visit http://www.perryschools.org/departments/transportation/ for more information.