Yep, it’s back-to-school time!
That also means it’s time for the good ol’ yellow buses to roll out and carry our kiddos back and forth to their designated schools.
So go ahead and celebrate, parents, and sing along with me:
“The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round,
‘Round and ’round,
‘Round and ’round.
The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round,
All through the town.”
Now, I bet everyone (except those parents of school-age kids) collectively sighed, just thinking about how many minutes those school bus routes add to each day’s drive time – especially for those commuting on our state’s two-lane roads.
I know! School buses really do add to the morning chaos, but they also add something positive to our lives – a taxpayer–funded resource for getting students safely to and from their schools.
Of course, not every Mississippi kid rides those school buses, but it’s a daily part of life for lots of students in our state. Lots! In fact, on its official website (mdek12.org), the Mississippi Department of Education reported a statewide enrollment of 426,523 students for the 2023-24 school year, and thousands of those Mississippi students rode aboard school buses daily.
Interestingly enough, nationwide statistics show that school buses travel over 4 billion miles, transporting over 10 billion students annually. And after the terrorist attack of 9/11, school buses were federally designated as part of our nation’s mass transportation system. As such, the laws pertaining to all aspects of this portion of our nation’s educational system require our due diligence.
Which brings me right back to the lyrics of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
Maybe there should be another verse added to the other stanzas of this song referencing not only the wheels on the bus, but it’s horn, doors, wipers, and blinkers.
But rather than singing along with the kids on those buses, I think we should address this new verse to drivers across the state (and the nation, even):
The extended STOP sign arm on the bus says STOP! STOP! STOP!
STOP! STOP! STOP!
STOP! STOP! STOP!
The extended STOP sign arm on the bus says STOP! STOP! STOP!
Or … go to jail.
That may sound cute and funny, but the truth is, there are thousands of school bus accidents reported annually throughout the United States– with over 100 fatalities.
Read that again: Over 100 American kids die each year in school bus accidents.
And most of those accidents were totally avoidable, if drivers had been more aware of the so-called “Danger Zone” surrounding students who are loading and unloading from school buses.
That Danger Zone is exactly why it is always illegal in all 50 states to pass a stopped school bus.
Yet, in 2022 alone, a national survey of nearly 80,000 drivers reported as many as 51,593 vehicles illegally passed school buses each day, with a yearly total of 41.8 million such violations.
Beware, though! The penalties surrounding such violations are stiff. As they should be! Because these are our children we are talking about. The future of our world. The best treasures of our families – and our state.
So, just go ahead and plan to add a few extra moments to your daily driving time now that school has begun. And when you see a big yellow bus slowing down, putting on its blinking lights, and throwing out its STOP sign arm – go ahead and HALT.
Yes, my fellow Mississippi drivers! Let’s all come to a complete stop, and then, maybe even think of this blog, and sing a few verses of “The Wheels on the Bus.”
For the truth is, the short time it takes to sing a few silly verses might just save the life of a precious Mississippi child. And nothing could be more important than that!
***For more information on school bus safety, as well as the state laws proactively designed to protect Mississippi children, go to: mdek12.org/OSOS/SBS.
