I recently read an article online about an elementary school counselor and a team of volunteers in Minden, Nev., who fill backpacks with nonperishable food for students in need every Friday afternoon during the school year. Bus drivers load the backpacks on the students’ school buses and ensure that they take the packs home.  

Moreover, on the last day of school, these individuals send the students home with supplies for the summer. They have been doing this work for three years in an effort called the BackPack Buddies Club, which is sponsored by the elementary school and funded by donations.      

This story made me think about the impact that school bus drivers and adults in all aspects of the education system can have on students, particularly those who come from disadvantaged families.

When I was growing up, I had a couple of friends who had it very rough at home — one because her mother had trouble keeping a job, the other because her parents had drug and alcohol problems and her guardian was abusive.    

In seventh grade, my friend whose mother was unemployed throughout the course of our friendship talked constantly about her English teacher and said that she greatly admired her. She had an extremely positive influence on my friend at that point in her life and it’s because she gave her, among other things, a sense of stability that her mother could not give her.  

The Record-Courier article demonstrates yet another way that those within education can help students, and I’m curious if you have implemented a program at your operation like the one in Minden, Nev., or something similar. If so, I would like to read about it.

I think this would also be a good opportunity for other pupil transporters who would like to go the extra mile for students in this regard but aren’t sure what direction to go in to get some ideas about the types of programs they can organize at their operation.

Send an e-mail to info@schoolbusfleet.com or post a comment below. 

Until next time,

Kelly Roher, Senior Editor