School bus drivers across North Carolina are receiving well-earned attention this week, Feb. 10-14, during School Bus Driver Appreciation Week, as individual schools and districts recognize drivers’ vital role with various events and celebrations. Nationally, February is Love the Bus month, which helps raise awareness and appreciation for the safe experience of riding the bus to and from school.

Dozens of events are planned this week to honor drivers across the state, from sit-down breakfasts and dinners to offerings of student-made valentines and other tokens of appreciation. Students at Williamston Primary School in Martin County are all signing a thank-you banner to display for the week. Staff members at Faith Elementary School in Rowan County have been invited to ride with bus drivers each day this week. And bus drivers at Charles England Elementary School in Davidson County are each being honored with custom-made hoodies.

State Superintendent Mark Johnson will join the festivities Thursday at Jefferson Elementary School in Winston-Salem, where the school will be celebrating drivers with snacks, signs, thank-you notes and other displays of appreciation.

Additional details about these activities and many others planned across the state can be found on the 2020 Love the Bus Event listing.

In North Carolina, more than 750,000 students board some 13,000 school buses each day. Their drivers must complete rigorous training and be certified to drive a bus.

Kevin Harrison, transportation services section chief for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said the state’s bus drivers earn the week of recognition every day of the school year.

“School bus drivers are entrusted with a great responsibility: to safely transport our children to and from school each day,” Harrison said. “They must drive the bus while also watching out for their students, listening to them, teaching them, and above all else keeping them safe. We ask so much of bus drivers every day; I hope that all students, parents and staff will take a moment to express their appreciation for the many things their bus drivers do.”

Gov. Roy Cooper has proclaimed Feb. 10-14 as School Bus Driver Appreciation Week in North Carolina, and urges all school communities to take a moment to thank bus drivers for all they do.

The Love the Bus program, launched in 2007 and coordinated by the American School Bus Council, is not only a way to raise awareness and appreciation for the hundreds of thousands of school bus drivers nationwide, but also provides an opportunity for parents and children to learn more about the safety and environmental benefits of school bus transportation.

Students nationwide are about 70 times more likely to get to school safely if they take the school bus instead of traveling by car, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition, school buses reduce traffic by keeping more than 17 million cars off roads each year, the American School Bus Council says, while also saving approximately 2.6 billion gallons of fuel.

Parents, teachers and children are encouraged to visit the American School Bus Council's website to share stories about their favorite bus drivers and find a variety of other resources for honoring drivers.