Written by Pam Skoglund, Director of Transportation
The Valparaiso Community Schools Transportation Department would like to inform our community that the National School Bus Safety Week is Oct. 17-21. This special week commemorates the safe service that school buses provide to families, as we provide one of the safest modes of transportation for our children.
The safe transportation of students to and from school is a shared responsibility between the VCS Transportation Department, schools, bus drivers, parents, students and motorists in the community.
This year's theme, "Be Aware -- Know the Danger Zone!" highlights the importance of keeping children safe outside of the school bus, especially when they are boarding or exiting the school bus.
Students should stay out of the "Danger Zone" by keeping 10 giant steps away from the bus at all times, cross in front of the bus crossing gate in sight of the driver, and be alert around school buses. It is important that students don't text, talk on cell phones or listen to MP3 players while around buses.
We would like to remind everyone that each year motorists illegally pass school buses nearly 2 million times. Each illegal pass-by could result in a tragic injury or fatality of a student. The inconvenience of an extra few seconds spent waiting for a stopped school bus is insignificant compared with the loss of a child's life.
This is why we also want to remind motorists of the laws and safe practices to take when approaching a school bus.
Motorists are required to stop for a school bus with its stop arm extended and lights flashing, as well as using extra caution when driving near school buses or in a school zone. Motorists who improperly pass a stopped school bus commit a moving violation subject to citation, fine and/or could be required to complete a basic Driver Improvement Course upon conviction.
The staff of the VCS Transportation Department would like to encourage all motorists to please pay attention to the big yellow buses and help keep our children safe.
The men and women of the VCS Transportation Department work diligently every day and are the foundation for providing the safest transportation for the students attending our schools.
We would like to acknowledge two members of our department: Chris Larr (special needs driver and trainer) and Leyetta Urbanczyk (special needs driver) who participated in this year's State Safety Roadeo and Special Needs Team Competition and won first place. They will now be competing in the national competition to be held in March in Orlando, Fla. Congratulations on a job well done, and thank you to all the bus drivers, bus aides, mechanics and office staff for working so hard to keep our kids safe.