Kansas to Celebrate School Bus Drivers’ Appreciation Day

Gov. Sam Brownback designates Oct. 19 as a day to honor the state’s more than 4,200 school bus drivers.

Thomas McMahon・Executive Editor

October 12, 2016

Kansas to Celebrate School Bus Drivers’ Appreciation Day — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback designated Oct. 19 as a day to honor the state’s more than 4,200 school bus drivers. Seen here is a driver appreciation event in Tennessee.

1 min to read

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback designated Oct. 19 as a day to honor the state’s more than 4,200 school bus drivers. Seen here is a driver appreciation event in Tennessee.

TOPEKA, Kan. — Next Wednesday, Oct. 19, will be School Bus Drivers’ Appreciation Day in Kansas, thanks to a proclamation from Gov. Sam Brownback.

The appreciation day falls during National School Bus Safety Week, which is Oct. 17-21 this year. The Kansas State Department of Education has recommended that school districts contact local media and encourage them to cover key pupil transportation topics, including the importance of stopping for school buses and the widespread need for more school bus drivers.

In Kansas, more than 4,200 school bus drivers transport about 228,000 students to and from school daily.

“Their professional dedication has made pupil transportation the safest means of mass transportation in the country,” Brownback’s proclamation says. “The drivers give pupils a good start on the day, dry tears, dispel fears, find lost notebooks and most faithfully deliver the students safely to their destinations.”

Last year, Emporia (Kan.) Public Schools created a School Bus Safety Week video that informs the public about school bus safety procedures, including pre-trip inspections, warning lights and stop arms, and student loading and unloading. Watch the video here.

Topics:driver shortage Kansas morale National School Bus Safety Week public image stop-arm running/illegal passing Safety

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