Theme is “Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe”

Board of Education President Patricia B. O'Neill and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jerry D. Weast will join other officials in the kick-off of a new Ride by the Rules campaign for school bus safety. The event will take place on Monday, August 22, at 10:15 a.m. at Julius West Middle School.

The “Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe” theme will be carried out through brochures for both students and parents, student videos, public service announcements, bookmarks, and posters. Materials are available in multiple languages.

Bus Driver Sheba Ram, known to her students as Ms. S., appears in videos and print as a spokesperson for safe behavior. Classroom reinforcement of Ride by the Rules messages will encompass the topics of safety, sexual harassment, social responsibility, and respect for others. Counselors will promote bus safety through schoolwide initiatives such as bullying prevention and character education.

Goals for the campaign are to raise awareness of the importance of safe and respectful behavior on buses, communicate guidelines for appropriate behavior and reporting disciplinary problems, and extend learning on bus safety to counseling and classroom environments.