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Watch for buses as kids head back to school

Back to School! Yes, believe it or not, it is that time of year again. Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, will be the first day for most of the schools in the Cleveland County School System (CCSS). And bright and early on that day (6:05 a.m. to be precise) 170 yellow school buses will begin the process of delivering children and teenagers to their schools across the county.
"We just urge people to be patient - that's true throughout the year - but especially on these first days and weeks of school," says David Pless, director of transportation for the school system. "The routes have changed, there are new drivers and new kids, so we just need folks to leave a little earlier and allow plenty of time to get to their destination so that a stopped school bus won't cause a problem for them."
When people do get impatient, he asks that they think about who is on those buses. "That's somebody's kid," he says. "Think about how you would want folks to act if you had a kid on that bus."
Reviewing the laws about stopped school buses is also a good idea, Pless says (see graphic). "People always seem to get most confused about roads with medians. Folks might remind themselves of these rules again. But everyone should remember that the best policy is: When in doubt, stop."
Pless says that Cleveland County is fortunate to have fantastic bus drivers and transportation team members. In a state audit of school transportation safety, the county rated first in the region last year and second this year. "That is out of 33 counties, so we are very proud of that," Pless says. "We at the transportation department have a commitment to doing the best we can to provide a safe trip to and from school each day for all of our bus riders. We ask that the public do their part to make this happen."

By April Hoyle-Shauf

Special to Shelby Shopper & Info


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