BCSD Salutes National School Bus Safety Week

Superintendent Dr. Don Bartling of the Boundary County School District has announced that the week of Oct. 20th through the 24th is National School Bus Safety Week.

In the state of Idaho, over 2,700 school buses transport more than 100,000 students to and from school each day traveling nearly 280 million miles in a school year.

We would like to take the opportunity during School Bus Safety Week to inform the citizens of our district about our pupil transportation program.

Boundary County School District employs 25 professional school bus drivers and uses 18 buses to transport over 800 students to and from school each day. Additionally, the district shuttle students involved in extra-curricular activities to and from their destinations adding to the numbers transported and buses used. BCSD's buses travel more than 1,800 miles per day.

During School Bus Safety Week, our drivers will be reviewing safety and emergency procedures with students. They will be reminding students of the importance of following loading and unloading procedures, knowing where to locate emergency equipment on a school bus, and how to evacuate safely in the event it becomes necessary.

You may see your children unloading a school bus through a rear emergency exit while the bus is parked in one of the districts school zones. Be assured that they are in the hands of our professional school bus drivers and receiving valuable training that will help keep them safe.
In addition to the training pupils will be receiving, we are asking the public to be aware of what they can do to help assure the safety of our children. The most common complaint from our drivers is that motorists frequently violate the school bus stop law. If you see a school bus slowing down and displaying yellow flashing lights, be reminded to use caution and know that the red light system will soon be activated and the bus will stop.

Motorists are required to stop at a reasonable distance from a school bus that is stopped and displaying flashing red lights and a stop-arm. When a motorist is inattentive and passes through the flashing red lights and stop-arm, it creates a hazard for pupils and can be potentially a life-threatening situation.

In conjunction with School Bus Safety Week, it is important that parents be involved by paying close attention to their children's attire. Bus drivers recommend reflective clothing and a small flashlight for students who must wait at a bus stop or walk to school. These simple tools make your child much more visible to motorists and to your child's bus driver, which becomes more important as the daylight hour's decrease.

Take the opportunity during School Bus Safety Week to always use extreme caution when you are near a school bus. You can help us to maintain or even improve our safety record by following this simple rule: Stop On Red!