Held during the third full week of October each year, National School Bus Safety Week serves as an opportunity to highlight and address the importance of school bus safety. This year, National School Bus Safety Week is recognized October 18-22 and the theme is “Be Safe – Know the Danger Zone.” 

*2021 National School Bus Safety Week Poster 

IDEA offers bus transportation in select regions, including in the Rio Grande Valley, Southern Louisiana, Houston, Tampa Bay and at IDEA Montopolis in Austin. Throughout this week, IDEA will highlight the hard work and commitment of our transportation teams and bus drivers and also share important transportation safety tips for students, including bus riders, car riders, and walkers. 

IDEA’s transportation team was instrumental in using school buses to provide curbside meals on wheels to IDEA students and families during the pandemic and continue to keep our students safe on a daily basis. IDEA bus drivers transport our students on approximately 359 routes each day including 320 regular routes, 16 Pre-K routes, and 30 special education routes transporting almost 23,000 riders. In total, IDEA’s transportation department drives more than 2 million miles annually. 

Remember, school bus safety is for everyone. Below are tips from the American Safety Council to help keep our scholars and staff safe on the bus. 

If you see a school bus: 

• Flashing yellow lights mean the bus is about to make a stop and you should slow down, too. 
• Flashing red lights and stop signs mean the bus is stopped and children may be entering or exiting the bus. 
• Passing a stopped school bus is illegal and can result in steep fines, depending on your state’s laws. 
• If you are traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus, you are still required to stop if the road is less than four lanes. 
• You should always drive cautiously near school buses. 

We are extremely thankful for the commitment and dedication of IDEA’s transportation team members. You ensure our students travel to and from school safely on the road to and through college. 

For more information on National School Bus Safety Week, visit napt.org. Learn more about transportation at IDEA at ideapublicschools.org/parents/transportation. Don’t forget to follow our #NationalSchoolBusSafetyWeek posts on our social channels this week!