Aldine ISD Invites Community to Celebrate National School Bus Safety, Appreciation Week

The Aldine ISD Transportation Department is joining school districts and transportation agencies across the country in celebrating the importance of school bus safety. This year’s National School Bus Safety Week is October 21-25. The event also coincides with Aldine ISD’s Transportation Employee Appreciation Week.

This year’s theme, “At My Stop — You Stop!” reminds motorists to stop when a school bus is at a stop to pick up or drop off students. All drivers should be mindful of a student walking in front of a bus or near the bus to cross the street.

According to Robin DeRouen, AISD executive director of transportation, this is an opportunity for the entire district to recognize the important job school transportation personnel members have. Aldine ISD transports 36,600 students to and from school each day for a grand total of 7,500,000 to 8,000,000 miles a year.

“AISD’s 800 transportation employees are dedicated to providing safe transportation for students,” stated DeRouen. “I am really proud of the team of bus drivers, assistants, mechanics and office staff for their dedication.”

DeRouen also added that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that traveling by school bus is seven times safer than traveling by car or truck.

The AISD Transportation Department would like to also take this opportunity to remind parents to review the following school bus safety rules with their children:

[ul class=”list list-arrow_blue”] [li]Always remain in direct eyesight of the bus driver.[/li] [li]Get to the bus stop in plenty of time by arriving at least five minutes prior to the scheduled time.[/li] [li]Take 10 giant steps back from the curb while waiting for the bus and 10 steps away from curb when exiting the bus.[/li] [li]Never try to re-board the bus without the bus driver’s permission to retrieve an item after exiting.[/li] [li]Never reach underneath the bus.[/li] [li]Always follow the bus driver’s directions for how to cross the street.[/li] [li]Be alert to traffic and look both ways.[/li] [li]Always cross in front of the bus, but only when the bus driver signals it is safe.[/li] [li]Stay in your seat and sit quietly so the bus driver is not distracted.[/li] [li]If you have seat belts on your school bus, be sure to learn to use the seat belt correctly.[/li] [/ul]

DeRouen encourages everyone to take a moment to show their appreciation and recognize a school bus driver or transportation staff member.

“Our folks dedicate many hours every day to transport our students to and from school,” said DeRouen. “They take pride in their role to help improve student learning.”