School Bus Safety Video PSA Contest

The Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) and Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) are inviting Ohio students in grades 9-12 to participate in a school bus safety video PSA contest as part of the #SafeStreetsSafeSchools campaign. The goal of this contest is to highlight ways that students can contribute to a safe environment on and around school buses. 

Safe Streets Safe Schools is a joint campaign between the OSSC and OTSO to help keep students safe from the moment they leave their house to head to school, at school, and until they arrive safely back home. The campaign centers on tips for keeping students safe whether they are driving, a passenger in a car or bus, walking to school, how they behave at school, and at after school activities. Visit the website to get access to resources like a PSA video, social media toolkit, newsletters and more. 

Winning submissions will be used in a statewide marketing campaign for school bus safety. 

Submission Requirements

All submissions should follow the below requirements. 

• The deadline for submissions is April 19, 2024.
• Must be 1 minute or shorter in duration.
• Somewhere in the PSA, you must incorporate #SafeStreetsSafeSchools either in writing or verbally. 
• Must cover topics related to school bus safety. Some initial ideas for topics are below but the contest is not limited to these ideas.
  • School bus safety drills
  • How to enter/exit a school bus safely
  • How to act while on the bus
  • Preventing distractions for drivers 
  • What to do during a bus emergency (accident, medical emergency, or safety incident)
  • What to do when you observe bullying or fighting on a bus
  • How to report suspicious activity on a bus 
• Only one video per school may be submitted. Be creative and show your school spirit while promoting school bus safety by inviting your school mascot, school bus driver or school staff to get involved. 
• Videos featuring people or digital versions featuring cartoons or slideshows will be accepted. If you are filming on a school bus, ensure the vehicle is not in motion and you have discussed with the driver in advance.

In Person PSA Example

Cartoon PSA Example

The deadline for submissions is April 19, 2024. Schools with winning submissions will be notified in May. How to submit your video. 

The subject line of your submission email should read, “School Bus Safety Video PSA Submission.” Included in the body of the email must be your YouTube video link, submitter’s first and last name, names of students involved (if not the submitter), name of the affiliated Ohio school, grade level represented, and phone number. If multiple students are involved, please include all names. Your video submission will be considered incomplete without this information.

For submissions or questions, please email OhioSchoolSafetyCenter@dps.ohio.gov

Please be advised that video submissions may be considered a public record, as that term is defined in Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43. As a result, video submissions may be subject to public release if specifically requested by a member of the public, and by submitting a video you are consenting to such release.