Just Call Me Ralph

Due to illness and family emergencies, I have had the opportunity to return to the street as a substitute bus driver this week. This experience has made me think of how things used to operate 32 years ago when I first drove school buses in District 66. Trust me when I say that things are so much better now in every way, especially in equipment and maintenance, training and safety procedures, efficiency of routing, road conditions, the deportment of our children on the bus and the care and concern exhibited by drivers to safeguard our children.

This experience has reminded me how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated transportation team that is so well trained, supervised and led. This is a job that requires full attention in every way. Drivers must be trained in safety procedures, legal issues, district procedures as well and often serve as a surrogate parent to comfort or console a child. Our drivers range in experience from two years to over 20 years and are committed to our students and community. It is a challenge to safely transport over 1000 students daily to and from home throughout the school year. One must be aware of traffic conditions as well as maintain a safe and orderly environment on the bus while constantly displaying vigilance as the children move on and off the bus to their homes. Our drivers also serve as a first line of surveillance in our community as they often note situations that seem strange or not quite right such as strangers or strange vehicles about the community and report them to the proper authorities for investigation.

Thanks to all of our District 66 Transportation Team for their hard work and service especially in this winter weather. I am proud of them and honored to hit the streets with them on occasion. By the way, if you know anyone who has a CDL School Bus license, we are looking for a couple of high quality substitute drivers to join our team. Please have them call the Transportation Office at 630-783-5093.

Drive safely!