Held during the third full week of October each year, National School Bus Safety Week serves as an important opportunity to highlight and address the importance of school bus safety. This year, National School Bus Safety Week is recognized October 19-23, 2020 and the theme is “Red Lights Mean STOP!”

IDEA offers bus transportation in select regions including in the Rio Grande Valley, Southern Louisiana, Houston, and at IDEA Montopolis in Austin. Throughout this week IDEA will amplify and highlight the hard work and commitment of our transportation teams and bus drivers and also share important transportation safety tips for scholars, 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 school closures this year. IDEA bus drivers transport our scholars on approximately 354 routes each day including 280 regular routes, 44 Pre-K routes, and 30 special education routes transporting more than 20,000 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 www.napt.org, and don’t forget to like, comment, and follow our #NationalSchoolBusSafetyWeek posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram this week.