Johnston County Schools celebrated the district’s school bus drivers and promoted school bus safety during Love the Bus Week held February 13th – 17th.
Love the Bus Week is the American School Bus Council’s (ASBC) campaign to raise awareness and appreciation for the thousands of school bus drivers who safely transport children to and from school.
“It makes me feel good to be recognized for caring so much about getting students to school safely,” said Donna Donovan, a school bus driver and kindergarten teaching assistant for West Smithfield Elementary. “I love having the opportunity to build relationships with students, and also get them home safely every day.”
Public schools across Johnston County are showing their appreciation for bus drivers in various ways during Love the Bus Week. Students are participating by sharing stories about their bus driver and making homemade cards to deliver to school bus drivers. School staff are also treating bus drivers to special lunches and surprise treats to show their appreciation throughout the week.
“Here in Johnston County Public Schools we appreciate everyone and the role they serve for the team,” said JCS Superintendent Dr. Ross Renfrow. “In order for us to love the bus, we need to show love for our bus drivers.”
Johnston County Board of Education members, Dr. Renfrow, and members of the district’s senior staff are supporting Love the Bus Week by riding school buses with students and bus drivers throughout the week.
“Taking time out of our schedule to support bus drivers is resemblant of what we need to do on a daily basis in showing how much we appreciate what they do,” said Dr. Renfrow.
According to the ASBC, school bus drivers have made the yellow school bus the largest and safest transportation system in the country. Love the Bus Week is used to promote the value of student transportation to the education system, and the idea that every person involved in the school is critical to a student’s success.
“What we do instructionally is vital to a student’s success. However, there’s nothing more important than getting a student to and from school safely.” said Dr. Renfrow. “When parents entrust us with their most prized possession, their student, then we have to take ultimate care of them.”
Johnston County Schools is one of the top ten largest school systems in North Carolina. Each school year JCS operates more than 300 school buses and activity buses, which travel over 22,000 miles each day, transporting over 23,000 students daily.
“We need to honor our bus drivers for all the support they give our students on a daily basis,” said Johnston County Board of Education member Todd Sutton. “Without bus drivers, a lot of our students wouldn’t have transportation to school. Love the Bus Week is a great way to show our support and thank them for everything they do.”
