October 18, 2021

Oct. 18-22, 2021 is National School Bus Safety Week and Dripping Springs ISD asks all drivers to join the effort to help keep our students safe by observing school bus laws and displaying courtesy to buses and bus riders. This year’s theme is "Be Safe; Know the Danger Zone." This theme emphasizes the importance of teaching students and parents that there are three dangerous areas around a school bus where children have the greatest likelihood of not being seen by the driver: 10 feet in front of the bus where the driver may be too high to see a child, 10 feet on either side of the bus where a child may be in the driver’s blind spot, and the area behind the school bus.

National School Bus Safety Week is an active and evolving public education program and an excellent way for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. Dripping Springs ISD drivers transport approximately 3,800 students between home and school each day, and buses collectively drive more than 4,000 miles each day.

"In DSISD, our drivers take their role and responsibility seriously,” said Director of Transportation Pam Swanks. “They care deeply about our students and are committed to transporting them safely and efficiently to and from school each day. When motorists respect bus safety laws and exhibit extra caution around buses, it creates a safer environment for students."

Safety tips for bus riders are available on DSISD’s Transportation Department website. The National Association for Pupil Transportation offers these tips. Another helpful tip this time of year is a suggestion that students in the early morning hours have a flashlight with them to provide illumination while they are walking to the bus stop and waiting for the bus. Dripping Springs ISD also reminds drivers that it is illegal to talk or text on a cell phone in active school zones.