A 13-year-old boy remains in critical condition after the mini-dirt bike he was riding collided with a school bus, reported KTVB 7.
The crash reportedly occurred Monday shortly after 4 p.m. at an intersection in Caldwell, Idaho. State police said v the school bus was traveling south on Colorado Avenue when the teen, identified by his family as Daniel, struck the bus while riding the mini-dirt bike.
Daniel underwent surgery and sustained multiple broken bones and injuries to his brain and lungs, his family told local news reporters. His brother, David Corral, asked the community to pray for Daniel, their family and everyone involved.
“At the end of the day, all that matters to me and my family right now is Daniel’s health,” Corral said. “We hope God does a miracle.”
The bus had eight students and two adults on board, including the driver, at the time of the collision. All occupants were wearing seatbelts, the type unspecified, and no one aboard the bus was reportedly injured. State police said Daniel was not wearing a helmet while riding the mini-dirt bike.
Caldwell Mayor Eric Phillips said he met with Daniel’s family Monday night and prayed with them. Phillips emphasized that Daniel is a child and said the immediate priority should be helping him recover.
Authorities are also investigating how Daniel obtained the mini-dirt bike. David Snider said that Daniel took the mini-dirt bike from his son before the crash. Snider explained that Daniel approached his son and another child, asked to ride the bike, and then pushed them away before leaving with it.
Daniel’s family disputed that account. Authorities have not announced any charges related to the allegations.
Snider said his son was shaken by the incident but sympathized with Daniel and did not wish him harm.
The intersection remained closed for approximately an hour as first responders worked at the scene. Both the collision and the allegations involving the dirt bike remain under investigation.
National School Bus Safety Week is October 19 through 23, 2026, and Verra Mobility is providing a free toolkit with ready-to-use resources that schools, school districts, and community organizations can share this week and throughout the year. The milestone offers an opportunity for schools, transportation professionals, families, students, and drivers to reinforce the everyday actions that help keep children safe on and around school buses.
While illegal school bus passing is declining, too many children remain at risk. The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates that 38.4 million illegal school bus passings occurred during the 2025-2026 school year, down from 39.3 million the previous year and 45.2 million two years earlier. The numbers represent an approximately 15% decline over two years.
Even with this improvement, drivers illegally pass stopped school buses an estimated 213,800 times on a typical school day. Parents and caregivers see the danger firsthand: 37% say they have witnessed an illegal school bus passing, and 33% have seen a near miss near a stopped school bus.
The toolkit makes it easier to share clear, consistent school bus safety information with families, staff, and the broader community. Resources include:
Social media copy and graphics that raise awareness of illegal passing and safe driving around school buses.
Educational content for websites, newsletters, and family communications.
Materials in the linked toolkit are Copyright 2026 Verra Mobility Corporation. All rights reserved. Schools, school boards, and non-profit organizations are licensed to copy, redistribute, reproduce, copy, and adapt materials in the toolkit for the sole purposes of safety messaging.
Raising awareness is an important part of school bus safety, but it must be reinforced through the choices we make every day. Whether behind the wheel, accompanying a child to the bus stop, or riding the bus, everyone has a role in helping students travel safely. Keep these reminders in mind during National School Bus Safety Week and throughout the school year.
Drivers:
Come to a complete stop when a school bus displays flashing red lights and extends its stop arm, as required by state law.
Remain stopped until the red lights turn off, the stop arm retracts, and the bus begins moving.
Slow down, stay alert, and eliminate distractions near school buses, bus stops, and school zones.
Parents and Caregivers:
Arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the scheduled pickup.
Teach children to wait at least 10 feet, or five giant steps, away from the road.
Remind children never to walk behind a school bus and to wait for the bus driver’s signal before crossing.
Tell children to alert the driver if they drop something near the bus instead of retrieving it themselves.
Students:
Wait until the bus stops completely and the door opens before approaching.
Stay where the bus driver can see you.
Look left, right and left again before crossing the street.
Cross at least 10 feet in front of the bus, never directly in front of or behind it.
Education is essential, but communities also need tools that reinforce traffic laws and hold dangerous drivers accountable. At Verra Mobility, we go beyond raising awareness; we prioritize making a lasting difference in communities. Our school bus stop arm technology not only holds violators accountable, but it also changes driver behavior.
Across Verra Mobility programs, 98% of drivers cited for illegally passing a stopped school bus did not repeat the offense. Programs also saw an average 67% decline in stop-arm citations from the beginning to the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Blue Bird Corporation (Blue Bird), a technology leader and innovator of school buses, is expanding its existing footprint in Peach County. The company plans to invest an estimated $300 million in a new manufacturing facility in Fort Valley, creating 375 new jobs over the next three years.
“For nearly 100 years, Blue Bird has been an incredible part of Georgia’s story, and now that story will continue to be written for years to come,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We are proud when our long-time partners can grow and adapt to changing markets right here in the Peach State, and this expansion is the latest example that our pro-business environment is fostering sustained success for our business partners. I want to congratulate Blue Bird, Fort Valley, and Peach County on this announcement and their continued prosperity.”
Blue Bird school buses are available in a wide range of options and configurations to meet the diverse needs of school districts worldwide. The company has set industry standards through innovative design, engineering excellence, and advanced manufacturing capabilities, and currently supports more than 1,900 employees in Georgia.
“Georgia is where Blue Bird was born, and it has been our home for nearly 100 years. Every bus that rolls out of our plant carries the pride of the people across Middle Georgia who build it,” said John Wyskiel, President and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Our new facility in Fort Valley is our way of investing back into the community where we will continue to build more of the safe, dependable buses that school districts rely on, so we can keep getting children to school safely for the next hundred years.”
Blue Bird will convert a former manufacturing site for diesel-powered motorhomes at 401 Wanderlodge Way in Fort Valley into a new facility to build buses of all powertrains. The new, 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility will produce Type C school buses, including diesel, gasoline, propane, and electric-powered models. Construction is expected to begin in Q1 2027. The company will be hiring for manufacturing, operations, and technician roles. To learn more about Blue Bird, including where interested individuals can apply for jobs, visit www.blue-bird.com/careers.
“For generations, Fort Valley has helped Blue Bird move America forward. Today, Blue Bird is helping Fort Valley move toward a new century of possibilities,” said Fort Valley Mayor Shakeena B. Reeves. “May the next 100 years be defined not only by the buses we manufacture, but by the families we strengthen, the opportunities we create, and the future we build together.”
“Peach County is proud to be home to Blue Bird, and this massive $300 million expansion and creation of 375 new jobs is a monumental win for our entire community,” said Commissioner Roy Lewis, Peach County Board of Commissioners. “This investment underscores the strength of our local workforce and our collaborative partnership with state and local leaders. We look forward to seeing Blue Bird continue to thrive right here in Fort Valley.”
Regional Project Manager Candice Scott represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team on this competitive project in partnership with the Development Authority of Peach County and Georgia Quick Start.
“Since 1927, Blue Bird has been one of Georgia’s longest-standing automotive manufacturers, evolving with the industry while continuing to grow in Fort Valley and Middle Georgia,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “For nearly 100 years, families across America have placed their trust in Blue Bird every school day, entrusting these buses to safely carry their children to and from school. It’s remarkable to see that legacy continuing to create jobs and opportunity in a rural Georgia community, and to see Blue Bird continuing to invest and grow in the place it has called home for generations. Congratulations to Blue Bird on its upcoming centennial and to our local partners in Fort Valley and Peach County who have helped make this remarkable legacy possible.”
About Blue Bird Corporation
Blue Bird is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Their dedicated team members design, engineer, and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – 25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation. The company is a proven leader in low-and-zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric-powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com.
A 27-year-old Minnesota man is being credited with stopping a runaway school bus carrying nearly 20 children after the driver suffered a medical emergency, reported ABC News.
Ebro Ahmed told local news reporters that he was standing outside Ya Bricks Snacks and Tobacco on Monday, when he noticed a school bus traveling past the convenience store with its door wide open.
After looking inside, Ahmed said he saw the driver experiencing what appeared to be a seizure. He immediately ran toward the runaway school bus, jumped aboard and pulled the emergency brake, stopping the vehicle before it could crash.
“I really felt like it was my duty,” Ahmed said. “Also, too, it’s kids we’re talking about, you know. Even if I were to die, it would still be worth it.”
Surveillance video released by the convenience store captured Ahmed running alongside the bus before climbing aboard. The footage also showed the bus coming to a stop shortly afterward.
Ahmed said some of the students were screaming while others remained calm during the incident. He credited two girls seated near the front of the bus with helping him manage the situation.
“These two girls on the front really did help me a lot,” Ahmed said. “I threw my phone and my glasses at one of them, and I told her to hold it.”
Ahmed also said the long-running television medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” helped him remain composed during the emergency. He said the program offers lessons about how to react in unexpected situations.
Saint Paul Public Schools confirmed via the news report that a medical emergency occurred aboard one of its buses, and that paramedics responded to the scene. The district did not disclose additional information about the driver’s condition.
No injuries were reported among the students or others involved, according to the district.
Students aboard the runaway school bus were transferred to another vehicle and taken home following the incident. Counselors also checked in with the students Tuesday to offer support after the frightening experience.
The district did not immediately provide further details about the bus route, the school the students attended, or how far the vehicle traveled before Ahmed stopped it.
WARRENVILLE, Ill. – Summit School Services has introduced Catalyst, its connected, flexible approach to safe, reliable student transportation that combines proven technology, real-time data, transportation expertise, consistent fleet standards, and accountability into one integrated solution. Through the utilization of Catalyst’s technology stack, district partners and families can expect an elevated level of service and transportation experience that is more visible, informed, and proactive – providing an amplified level of confidence and peace of mind every school day.
Catalyst is Summit’s answer to defining a new, transformative chapter in student transportation, one that reduces unreliability and uncertainty and connects its advanced, smart technology to its teams, districts, and parents/guardians for service they can count on and trust. The creation of Catalyst is also a symbol of Summit’s century-long commitment to safe, dependable student transportation and a strong demonstration of its determination in setting higher standards for safety and service.
“Delivering safe, reliable transportation to the districts and families we serve is, and will always be, our priority,” said Tim Wertner, CEO, Summit School Services. “Catalyst opens a world of opportunities that further supports safety and reliability. It changes student transportation by delivering more visibility, elevated safety, and better technology for school districts, families, and the teams serving our students, so that everyone involved can have a shared peace of mind and assurance that students are in the best, capable hands and on safe, dependable buses. Through Catalyst, we are truly setting a new standard in the way districts and families can trust and rely on student transportation and transforming how successfully our teams operate. It’s revolutionary, and it has been really inspiring to see all the hard work my teams have put into bringing Catalyst to life.”
As part of its connected approach, Catalyst powers each technology within its system to share information and communicate seamlessly, in real-time, across its operations and into the hands of not only our team members, but also the districts and families we serve, enabling greater efficiency, effectiveness, and proactivity. Districts can also integrate Catalyst’s technology solutions into their existing platforms, giving them the flexibility to customize technology solutions to their district’s needs.
In depth, for districts, families, and our transportation teams, Catalyst’s technology stack provides:
Advanced, Proactive Safety
State-of-the-art smart dash cameras to inform drivers in real-time of potential risks, adding an extra layer of protection for not only our students, but also pedestrians and fellow motorists.
Driving behavior monitoring to allow for greater, proactive coaching opportunities, which means driving patterns and habits can be anticipated and addressed early on – fostering safer driving behaviors.
Elevated, Timely Visibility
Mobile bus tracking and notifications for timely updates on route changes and near real-time bus locations that are communicated consistently to parents, districts, and transportation teams to provide immediate peace of mind and transparency.
Real-time visibility into enroute buses and direct access to on-board footage to allow for clearer communication, clarity, and prompt accountability when districts and local teams need it most.
Smarter, Efficient Performance
Vehicle telematics to identify emerging maintenance care needs in advance – minimizing disruption risks and ensuring efficient vehicle performance.
Route optimization powered by real-time GPS and geofencing and automated scheduling to maximize route efficiency and performance.
“What Summit has is a collection of best-in-class systems for operations, maintenance, safety, and scheduling,” said Adam Silbernagel, Senior Vice President of Information Technology, Summit School Services. “And what Catalyst does is bring all of those systems together to operate in a way that makes each and every ride more visible so that school districts can focus on safely getting their kids to and from school, and parents can wake up in the morning and not have to wonder if or when their student’s bus will arrive. Student transportation should work consistently, safely, reliably, and without disruptions to those who count on it, and that’s exactly what Catalyst delivers.”
To learn more about Catalyst, follow Summit School Service’s LinkedIn page and also visit Summit School Service’s website, which features a video series about Catalyst, highlighting its benefits, capabilities, and a few customer testimonials.
About Summit School Services
Summit School Services sets the standard for safe, reliable student transportation across North America. As the parent organization to trusted local operators including Durham School Services, Stock Transportation and Petermann Bus, Summit supports over 5,500 schools. Powered by Catalyst, a connected technology ecosystem, and guided by five core values: Safety, Care, Transparency, Community, and Culture, Summit delivers student transportation that works quietly, consistently, and without disruption.
The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) is using National School Bus Safety Week to look toward next year’s safety campaign, announcing “Safe Miles = Big Smiles” as the theme of the 2027 National School Bus Safety Poster Contest.
The announcement Tuesday, during the Oct. 19-23 national observance, calls on students to illustrate what safe school bus transportation means to them and how everyday choices contribute to safer rides.
NAPT encouraged school transportation departments to involve educators and students in the contest, using student-created artwork to reinforce safety messages in classrooms and communities.
“School bus safety doesn’t begin or end at the bus stop,” NAPT said in its announcement, describing safety as a shared commitment among families, schools and transportation professionals.
National School Bus Safety Week, celebrated the third full week each October, aims to bring students, parents, motorists, school transportation employees and educators together around safe behavior on and around school buses.
The national poster competition begins at the local and state levels, where students develop original posters illustrating the designated theme. State-winning entries advance to national judging, and the overall winner’s artwork becomes a centerpiece of the following year’s National School Bus Safety Week campaign.
The new theme is separate from the 2026 National School Bus Safety Week message, “Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes,” which highlights the people and practices involved in transporting students safely.
This year’s featured poster was designed by Sai Darshana Yekolu, a sixth grader at Moseley Middle School in Prosper, Texas. Yekolu was named the overall national winner of the 2026 contest after advancing through state competition.
Judges representing NAPT, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and the National School Transportation Association evaluated entries for their safety messages, originality, artistic quality and visual effectiveness.
The winning design is being shared nationally, including throughout the October issue of NAPT’s School BUSRide publication and by state pupil transportation officials, schools and transportation departments.
The contest also gives transportation departments another way to engage students in safety education beyond traditional reminders. NAPT is asking districts to encourage teachers and students to depict how decisions made at home, at school and along bus routes can contribute to safer trips.
NAPT previously said the 2027 contest drawing period was expected to begin in November, with timing intended to accommodate differing school calendars across North America.
NAPT directed districts to its updated 2027 contest guidelines and a printable version of Yekolu’s winning poster. Additional contest resources are available online.
National School Bus Safety Week each October is another opportunity to remind motorists about the tremendous responsibility we all share around school buses and school children.
Stop for the red lights. Obey the stop arm. Slow down in school zones. Watch for children at bus stops and when crossing streets. We know the messages. But knowing what to do matters only if we are paying enough attention to recognize when we need to do it.
That is especially relevant this month. We examine the rapidly advancing collision-avoidance technology reaching school buses. Automatic braking, lane-related warnings, connected vehicle technology, cameras and other systems are increasingly capable of recognizing hazards, alerting drivers and, in some cases, reacting faster than a human can.
Similar technology is commonplace in our personal vehicles. My car can warn me if I drift from my lane or get too close to another vehicle. Other vehicles can automatically brake when their systems detect an impending collision.
All of that is remarkable and welcome. We also need to do more to avoid collisions the
old-fashioned, human way: Pay attention.
Working remotely has changed some of my own habits. Without a traditional commute to and from an office, I find myself conducting more conversations with work associates while driving to appointments, picking up the kids or running errands. Even before remote work became commonplace, I frequently spoke with school transportation professionals during their morning or afternoon commutes.
It feels productive. Why waste 20 or 30 minutes in the car when we can knock out a conversation? Because our attention has limits, that’s why.
Earlier this year at STN EXPO East, speaker Bret Brooks spoke about the difference between being careless and caring less. Being careless means failing to give something the attention it deserves. Caring less can be intentional. Sometimes we need to give less attention to things that aren’t as important at a particular moment so we can devote more attention to what is.
Behind the wheel is a great place to put that into practice. That work call might be important. The meeting might be approaching. The conversation might save some time later. But none of it is more important than what is happening outside the windshield.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, but we can’t wait until then to practice mindfulness. Distracted driving needs to be top of mind every month, week, day, hour, minute and second of the year, especially in school zones and wherever school buses are loading and unloading children.
A Governors Highway Safety Association survey STN reported on last month found that 46 percent of parents whose children ride school buses said their child had experienced a close call involving dangerous driving near a school bus or in a school zone. Across all surveyed parents, 36 percent reported such an experience involving their own child. Distracted driving and speeding were among the dangerous behaviors reported.
Those numbers demand our attention. Certainly, if we take a call while driving, hands-free should be the minimum. Don’t hold the phone. And there is absolutely no justification for reading or sending texts, checking email or scrolling while you are operating a vehicle.
But hands-free does not mean distraction-free. A conversation can occupy our thoughts. So can drowsiness, passengers, food, navigation systems, vehicle controls or simply mentally working through the next deadline or problem. Even other traffic on the road.
Meanwhile, a school bus may be stopping ahead. A child may be approaching a crosswalk. Traffic may suddenly slow. Vehicle-to-everything technology promises to alert motorists when they come upon a school bus stop. The technology is impressive but still in it’s infancy, as it is only available in a figurative handful of vehicles. It will take decades for all vehicles on the road to communicate with each other and road infrastructure.
One of the most important observations this month comes from Rosalyn Vann-Jackson of Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma. She notes that the safest technology isn’t necessarily technology that removes the human from the equation. It’s technology that helps the human make a safer decision sooner.
Let’s continue developing and adopting technology that gives motorists and school transportation operators another layer of protection on the road. But we cannot surrender our own first line of collision avoidance in the process.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the October 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
Long before GPS, onboard cameras and electric drivetrains, students climbed aboard horse-drawn wagons, wood-bodied buses and heavy-duty coaches built for routes that could be as demanding as the communities they served. Today, a small number of those vehicles survive in museums, company collections and private hands, offering a tangible record of how student transportation evolved.
The familiar yellow school bus did not arrive fully formed. In rural North America, getting children to school was once a local problem solved with whatever transportation was available. In the U.S., horse-drawn “kid hacks,” short for hackney carriages, and school wagons carried students before purpose-built motorized buses became common. Wayne Works developed a horse-drawn School Car in 1892 and a motorized version by 1914. By 1932, 63,000 school buses were operating in the U.S., according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Those buses were also changing education itself. Transportation made it possible for rural districts to close small one-room schools and move students to larger consolidated schools.
A similar transition occurred across Canada, and surviving vehicles at the Western Development Museum in Saskatchewan help tell that story.
Kaiti Hannah, curatorial associate for the Western Development Museum, told School Transportation News that the museum’s Saskatoon location includes a small display about the shift during the 1950s from one-room schoolhouses to busing students to larger urban schools.
Among the museum’s most evocative artifacts is the Conquest school bus, a horse-drawn vehicle displayed near a one-room schoolhouse. The museum also has an archival image of the bus dating to 1926. Hannah said the museum does not have extensive information about the vehicle’s early history, but it entered the collection in 1961.
Another early Saskatchewan bus, displayed at the museum’s North Battleford location, has a more detailed provenance. It was one of eight school buses purchased by the Viscount School Board in 1923 from William Landa’s Landa Carriage Works in Saskatoon. Each cost $350, and the buses served in the school district for about 20 years. The surviving example entered the Western Development Museum collection in 1949.
Hannah said she is not aware of any preserved early Canadian motorized school buses or private Canadian collectors specializing in historic pupil transportation vehicles, though she noted examples may exist elsewhere. That uncertainty is part of the preservation challenge. Unlike locomotives, automobiles or aircraft, school buses were working vehicles that often stayed in service until they were worn out, repurposed or disposed of.
Vehicles like those are reminders that “school bus” once described a much broader range of equipment than the standardized vehicles familiar today.
In the U.S., that standardization took a major step forward in 1939, when rural education specialist Frank W. Cyr organized a national conference at Teachers College, Columbia University. Delegates developed 44 standards covering such details as body dimensions, aisle widths and doors. They also selected the yellow-orange color that became the enduring visual identity of the American school bus.
Before 1939, buses could appear in a variety of colors and configurations. Cyr’s conference brought representatives together to establish greater consistency, with visibility and safety among the considerations. Yellow was gradually adopted across the country. What began as a standardization decision became one of the most recognizable symbols of public education.
Before that standardization, manufacturers were already experimenting with stronger bodies and purpose-built designs.
One of the most significant survivors is Blue Bird No. 1, completed by Albert L. Luce in 1927. Luce had previously mounted a purchased wood bus body on a Ford truck frame for a customer, only to see the body begin to shake apart on rough Georgia roads. He responded by reinforcing a later body with a steel framework beneath the wood. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan, now identifies that 1927 vehicle as the oldest surviving school bus in America.
Julianne Barclay, a Blue Bird spokesperson, said the original bus was sold to a customer and placed into school bus service. Only later did it become known retroactively as Blue Bird “No. 1.”
The Luce family reacquired the bus in 1946 and restored it, placing the body on a Ford Model TT chassis, Barclay said. It was restored again in the 1970s and donated to The Henry Ford Museum in 2008. A replica is displayed at Blue Bird’s Fort Valley, Georgia, facility.
The preservation story is continuing as Blue Bird approaches its 100th anniversary in 2027. Barclay said the Luce family traditionally kept a bus approximately every 10 years, and a couple of those historic vehicles are being restored by Blue Bird dealers as part of the centennial. Blue Bird also plans to develop a more formal archive as the company looks toward its next century.
The 1927 bus captures an era when school bus construction was still evolving rapidly. Its wood and steel body seems far removed from a modern Type C or Type D bus, but the engineering problem behind it remains recognizable: Build a vehicle durable enough to carry students safely over the roads it will encounter every day.
A preserved 1940 Chevrolet school bus at the North Carolina Transportation Museum illustrates another important step in that evolution. The bus was built by the company then known as Perley A. Thomas Car Works. Perley A. Thomas had worked as chief engineer for Southern Car Company before establishing his own business in 1916 after the company closed. His operation initially focused on streetcars before moving into school bus manufacturing as automobiles and road transportation expanded. Thomas Built Buses began building school buses in 1936.
Matt Abbott, collections manager for the North Carolina Transportation Museum, said the museum’s 1940 Chevrolet Thomas Built Bus was used by Iredell County until it was retired around 1960. The county continued using it in parades after its regular service life ended.
Thomas Built Buses regained possession of the bus in 1995. It was restored in 2003 and donated to the museum in February 2007, Abbott said.
The bus is an especially striking contrast with today’s interiors. According to Thomas Built Buses, the all-steel vehicle has a six-cylinder gasoline engine and four long benches on which children sat facing each other rather than facing forward.
Meanwhile, International’s IC Bus traces its origins to a similar time, in 1936 with predecessor Ward Body Works’ first all-steel school bus.
That difference is more than cosmetic. School bus design increasingly became shaped by formal safety requirements. Federal school bus standards that took effect April 1, 1977, addressed rollover protection, body joint strength and passenger seating and crash protection. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 222 established the compartmentalization concept used in large school buses, including higher, stronger seat backs, additional padding and controlled seat spacing.
Preserved buses make those changes visible in a way a written timeline cannot. Walk from an early side-bench interior to a later high-back school bus seat, and decades of safety engineering are immediately apparent.
Keeping History on the Road
Not every preserved bus spends its retirement standing still.
At the Templeton Historical Museum in Templeton, California, a restored 1933 school bus remains licensed, insured and roadworthy. The bus was purchased new by the Templeton School District in 1933 and remained in student transportation service until 1949, according to the district’s history. Museum volunteers later spent five years restoring it.
This 1933 school bus sits in the Templeton Historical Museum located near Paso Robles, California. It is a regular entry in the local July 4 parade.
Steve Vize of the Templeton Historical Museum said the vehicle continued serving the district even after its days of transporting students ended.
“It was later used as a truck within the school district for various tasks,” Vice said, adding that auto shop students drove it during the 1970s.
The bus also developed a second life as a community fixture. Vice said it appeared in Templeton’s Fourth of July Parade in the 1970s. Restoration reporting from 2014 said the bus had not had a running engine since its last parade appearance in 1985, before volunteers returned it to operating conditions.
Today, history is moving again.
“It is licensed and insured, and we drive it in the July 4 parade every year,” Vice added. “It is always on display when we have community events.”
The bus offers a particularly literal example of living history. It does not simply show visitors what school transportation once looked like. It returns to the same community streets where generations have seen it work, parade and reappear.
Even darker periods in school bus history are preserved. The Brights Pioneer Museum near LeGrand, California houses the actual International Loadstar Chowchilla school bus that three armed men kidnapped with its school bus driver and 26 children on board on July 15, 1976. The museum is housed about 16 miles to the northwest of Chowchilla, California.
Ryan Hahn, a consultant who has worked in student transportation for 25 years, takes a similar approach with vintage Gillig buses that he still puts to work at industry-related events.
“One of the things that we do to preserve history and also to make it a point when we advertise is we use vintage school buses like this one,” Hahn said of his 1969 Gillig.
He purchased the bus from a church that had owned it for 35 years and kept it in a garage. As a result, Hahn said, the vehicle remains in “really, really excellent condition.”
Rather than treating the Gillig only as a display piece, Hahn uses it to carry people to local events, trade shows, dinners and functions for school business officials and superintendents. Industry professionals can experience the vehicle as a bus, not simply view it behind a barrier.
Gillig itself has roots reaching back to the 19th century and moved into school bus manufacturing in the 1930s. The manufacturer later became known on the West Coast for rugged school bus designs and introduced diesel power to its school bus line in the 1950s.
Hahn’s second vintage Gillig, a 1970 model, demonstrates just how specialized some of those buses became. The vehicle was owned by Shasta College in Redding, California, and transported college students to sporting events. Hahn said the college also operated routes that picked up students at hub locations during the 1960s and 1970s.
The bus uses a midship engine mounted on its side, commonly described as a “pancake” engine, rather than a rear-engine layout. It is also a tandem-axle vehicle with both rear axles driven.
“A lot of districts and school systems would buy these for heavy loads,” Hahn explained.
His bus seats 97 students and operated in snow country, where the driven tandem rear axles and locking differential could provide additional traction. The layout placed the engine beneath the floor near the center of the bus, creating a mechanical configuration that would look unusual to many technicians and drivers accustomed to current conventional or rear-engine school buses.
The capacity itself speaks to a particular chapter of school transportation history, when manufacturers developed extremely large buses to accommodate growing student populations and demanding routes.
Across the surviving buses, the details differ: Wood bodies, steel reinforcements, side-facing benches, midship diesels, tandem axles and capacities that would raise eyebrows today. But together they document the same long-running challenge: Finding dependable ways to connect students with education.
They also show how much of student transportation history can disappear when vehicles are scrapped after their useful service life. Museums can preserve examples, manufacturers can maintain corporate artifacts and private owners can restore buses. But the number of surviving vehicles becomes smaller with each generation.
That makes the preservation work taking place now especially valuable. Blue Bird’s approaching centennial celebration is prompting new attention to company archives and restorations. Museums in Saskatchewan, North Carolina and California are maintaining vehicles tied to local education and manufacturing history. And collectors such as Hahn are keeping old buses operational enough to let a new generation step aboard.
For an industry built around moving forward, these buses provide a reason to look back.
Long before telematics, alternative fuels and advanced driver-assistance systems, there were school wagons crossing rural communities, early bodies rattling over rough roads, all-steel buses replacing wood construction and massive diesel coaches engineered to move nearly 100 students at a time.
The technology has changed dramatically. The mission has not.
Parents in a rural Maryland community are calling for a longtime school bus driver to be reinstated after she was removed from her route for allowing a student to leave the bus and rescue an injured kitten, reported WBNG News.
Cynthia Morgan, 67, had driven students in the Harford County Public Schools system for 11 years. Morgan said losing her position devastated her.
Video recorded along Heaps School Road shows the school bus stopped as a North Harford Elementary School student retrieved the kitten. Parents acknowledged that allowing the child to exit created a safety concern but argued that removing Morgan was excessive.
Carolyn Kalambihis, whose children have ridden Morgan’s bus for five years, told local news reporters that the area has little traffic and Morgan would not have made the same decision on a busier road. She said Morgan used her own money to buy students’ school supplies, holiday gifts and birthday cards.
“She is an angel. She’s the most caring person,” Kalambihis said.
Kalambihis and other parents are circulating an online petition asking that Morgan be returned to her route. She said Morgan’s 11 years of service should be considered. Calls for her restatement have circulated across social media.
Meanwhile, Kalambihis added that she believes Morgan recognizes that allowing the student to leave the bus was a mistake. “It shouldn’t have happened,” she said. “I believe she knows that and understands and, looking back, knows she made a mistake and should not have done what she did.”
Harford County Public Schools reportedly said Morgan was employed by an independent contractor rather than a district employee. However, the district is responsible for certifying drivers who transport its students.
“Certification and decertification are not always based on a single factor but often involves consideration of multiple circumstances and requirements,” the district said via the news report. “Student safety remains our top priority, and all certification decisions are made with that responsibility in mind.”
The district declined to discuss Morgan’s case specifically. The name of her employer and whether she was terminated by the contractor or only removed from the district route were not immediately clear.
School bus service was disrupted after multiple buses were reportedly vandalized at a contractor Durham School Services’ transportation lot over the holiday weekend, reported CBS News.
The Schenectady Police Department said Tuesday that officers responded at approximately 5:40 a.m. after Durham officials reported that multiple school buses had been damaged at its facility.
At least two school buses at the lot reportedly had damaged windows with what appeared to be impact marks, possibly caused by rocks or another object. Police said the vandalism likely occurred sometime during the holiday weekend.
According to the news report, the Schenectady City School District described the damage as severe and said it affected Durham’s entire fleet, preventing the transportation contractor from operating its regularly scheduled morning routes.
The district reportedly notified families of the disruption Tuesday morning and advised parents and guardians that morning transportation would be unavailable. It did not immediately specify how many buses were damaged, how many routes were affected, or the estimated cost of repairs.
Despite the morning cancellations, the district said Durham would provide afternoon transportation for all students who normally receive school bus service.
All after-school programs were also expected to operate as scheduled, with transportation available to participating students.
However, the district warned families that buses could arrive later than usual because of the vandalism and resulting operational changes. “We are asking for your patience as buses may be arriving at stops later than expected,” the district stated via the article.
The Schenectady Police Department is investigating the incident. No information about potential suspects or arrests was immediately available.
The district did not indicate whether surveillance footage captured the vandalism or whether additional buses would be brought in to restore normal service. It also had not announced whether regular morning routes were expected to resume Wednesday.
Families were encouraged to monitor communications from the district for additional transportation updates. Further information about the investigation and the extent of the fleet damage was not immediately released.
Longtime Sullivan County School District bus driver Nancy Ritinski celebrated her retirement alongside the woman who gave her another reason to celebrate, reported WNEP
Family members, friends and former passengers gathered at the American Legion in Dushore in northeast Pennsylvania to recognize Ritinski’s 44 years behind the wheel. During her career, she remained on the same route and transported multiple generations of some local families.
Theresa McCarthy said both of her daughters rode Ritinski’s bus before graduating, followed years later by McCarthy’s grandchildren.
For Ritinski, the children were the most meaningful part of the job. “I love them all,” she told local news reporters, adding that she cried whenever students graduated.
The retirement celebration also honored Bobbie Butler of Scranton, who reportedly entered Ritinski’s life as a stranger and became her living kidney donor.
According to the news report, Ritinski learned about three years ago that she needed a kidney transplant. Her relatives were not compatible donor matches, and she eventually began undergoing dialysis while waiting for a suitable kidney.
Butler initially hoped to donate to the father of a friend, but that proposed transplant did not work out. She then asked to be matched with another patient in need. Testing showed that Butler was compatible with Ritinski.
The two women reportedly met for the first time earlier this year, about one week before the transplant surgery. Ritinski said they connected immediately. The transplant was performed in June, and Ritinski said her recovery has gone well.
Butler said via the article that witnessing the improvement in Ritinski’s health following the operation was incredible. She described Ritinski and her relatives as her “kidney family.”
The celebration reflected both Ritinski’s impact on the rural community and the bond created through organ donation.
Now retired from a career that allowed her to watch generations of students grow up, Ritinski is beginning a new chapter with Butler considered part of her family.
Ritinski’s relatives are also encouraging others to consider living organ donation. Her daughter plans to donate a kidney to another recipient later this year.
At school bus contractor B.R. Williams, Inc., the company president and CEO credits the
foundation of its success to its people. “We’re always telling our story ending with
that we are always looking for ‘good people’,” said Chloe Williams, president and CEO. “We can teach a good person to drive, but we can’t teach a good driver to be a good person.”
During its annual meeting in Denver, Colorado in July, the National Association of School Transportation (NSTA), in partnership with School Transportation News, presented B.R. Williams the Contractor of the Year Award. “B.R. Williams is a third-generation school bus contractor operating primarily in southern New Jersey. The current president of the company, Chloe Williams, is an active member of the NSTA board of directors and she
also served as past president of the New Jersey School Bus Contractors Association (NJSBCA),” NSTA executive director Curt Macysyn noted.
“Chloe has been an integral part of several projects at NSTA, and her school bus operation is viewed as a testament to best practices in pupil transportation,” he
continued. “She and the company engage with vendor partners in a collaborative way, and B.R. Williams is always looking to improve and enhance their systems to the benefit of the students and communities they serve.” The company serving Salem, Gloucester and Cumberland counties has been honored throughout the past several years as the “Best of Salem County – Transportation,” Williams noted.
B.R. Williams has been family-owned and operated since it start in 1935 by Chloe’s grandfather Benjamin Riley Williams, known as a hard-working farmer who took
his children to school after milking the cows.
Chole Williams grew up in the family business, going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management from Pennsylvania State University. She spent a decade working at Marriott Hotels as part of a task force opening properties and then served as
general manager for the company’s Courtyard division before returning to B.R. Williams in 1996 to continue the three-generation legacy with the stipulation her parents should travel and enjoy themselves.
B.R. Williams is known for “a flexible working environment and a longstanding reputation for safe, courteous transportation” as well as deep community involvement, said Williams, adding community involvement is important to her personally and in representing her company.
Upon learning of the NSTA honor, Williams said “grateful” is the first word that came to mind: Gratitude for “my family, who taught me that hard work pays off and our staff, who comes in daily wanting to do the right thing and with a caring heart to take care of ‘our kids.”
She expressed gratitude for the school transportation industry, specifically NSTA and the NJSBCA for “bringing together competitors and vendors who are committed to supporting one another and upholding the standards that make school transportation the safest mode of travel in the nation.”
Additionally, she indicated she is, “Gateful to God. He never lets me down.” Williams said staff members noted, “being considered for such a prestigious award is a great accomplishment.
“They were excited and proud to be honored for their service and that they are viewed favorably for showing their core values not just within the company, but throughout the community,” she added.
The company’s core values are “respect, professional, friendly, dependable” with a focus on ”our family safely transporting your family,” Williams noted.
Employees take special pride in “being part of a tremendous association made up of many deserving companies,” said Williams, adding they indicated while they “don’t do this for trophies, it sure feels good to be honored.”
Employees told Williams they were even more proud to wear the company’s logo and indicated “we’re a family here. It feels like a family celebration.” Williams indicated the company’s approach to driver recruitment is to be consistent and never stop recruitment efforts.
Cover all the bases: Billboards, placemats, social media, recruitment sites, yard signs, job fairs, New Jersey’s One-Stop Career Centers, radio, newspapers, sporting event banners, flyers, back-to-school nights, and school newsletters,” she said.
Williams also advised companies to sponsor community events and speak at local civic organizations and events as part of overall community involvement.
B.R. Williams’ Driving Academy offers people the opportunity to earn a CDL for driving a school bus at no cost, a $4,000 value, for those who agree to work for the company after graduation. For school transportation or field trips, the company offers a starting salary of $26.50 an hour starting 30 days after completing and passing the course, which requires five days of classroom study and 40 hours of behind-the-wheel, instructor-led training.
No prior experience or existing CDL license is required. Applicants must pass a drug test, background check and have a relatively clean driving record.
Williams noted her company is “constantly looking for new ways to make our routes safer and our staff’s work easier.”
Ninety-nine percent of the company’s fleet is equipped with GPS, camera systems with communication capability and maintenance telematics.
Williams noted the company constantly evaluates needs and adjusts current technology capabilities as needed, adding, “Every decision is made with a careful eye on value, budget and long-term impact.”
B.R. Williams uses artificial intelligence in its operations. “We love AI for simple daily tasks, assisting in writing letters, notes and policies, evaluating options. The list goes on,” she said. “Its greatest impact has been within our safety program. Our AI-driven camera technology has elevated driver performance, strengthened accountability and made it easier to track and support meaningful improvement. Learning and understanding
the capabilities of AI is ongoing and ever-changing.”
Williams emphasized company culture centers around the staff. “It may have originated from my grandfather and carried through the generations,” she added. “But on a daily basis, our staff shows up every day with a genuine commitment to doing what’s right and living our core values.
“They bring heart, integrity and an unwavering sense of responsibility to the children we transport, always treating them as ‘our kids.’ Their dedication is the backbone of our operation,” she concluded.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted from the October 2026 issue of School Transportation News.
Follow the adventures of Calvin, an anxious but dutiful bus driver, and his sentient and safety-conscious school bus named Christina. The short story follows Calvin’s route adventures while highlighting very real circumstances that drivers face and underscoring the importance of student transportation safety. Find group discussion prompts at the end of each article. The story advisor is Fredrick Tottenham, student safety specialist with Irving ISD in Texas.
“Alright, girl, I’m going to need your help with this one,” I whisper to the dash. My stomach twists. Why does confronting teenagers make me such a nervous wreck?
The students are all aboard, absorbed in social media feeds and the latest high school gossip—everyone except Thomas and Stephen, who can barely hold their heads up. I swallow the lump in my throat and ignore the curious stares as I make my way toward them.
“Hey, Mr. Calvin. See somethin’ you like?” Thomas slurs.
“With glasses that thick, I’m sure he does!” Stephen shouts.
The bus erupts in laughter, and suddenly I’m back in ninth-grade English, fourth period, with Ms. Fannin. She had called on me to read from the lesson, and for one brief, shining moment, I thought I was impressing the prom queen. Then Bentley—the class clown—snatched my glasses from my face, slipped them on, and joked that the lenses were as thick as a fishbowl. He earned detention and the laughter of the entire class. I earned a nickname: Cal the Clown Fish.
“Alright, guys,” I say, forcing confidence into my voice, “What’s going on? More importantly, have you been drinking anything you shouldn’t be drinking?”
The boys trade a quick glance, silently agreeing to keep up the act. Thomas drops his head into his hands while Stephen crosses his arms and turns toward the window. I give them one last chance to come clean. When neither responds, I warn them that my next step will be to contact the authorities. Still, neither one moves.
I return to the front of the bus, pick up the radio, and call Dispatch.
“Route 7568 to Dispatch.”
“Dispatch here. Go ahead, Route 7568.”
“I have a code 9-32.”
“10-4, 7568. Call Dispatch directly for further assistance.”
I call Dispatch directly, and Ms. Debbie answers.
“Hi, Mr. Calvin. I’m relieved Sasha is safe and the police have cleared the area. You reported an emergency over the radio. Is that correct?”
“Yes. Thank you, Ms. Debbie. And, uh, I have a problem on my bus.”
I rub the back of my neck and glance toward Thomas and Stephen while I explain what’s happening. Ms. Debbie listens carefully, then says she’ll contact an administrator at Townsend High and notify the authorities.
I sigh and glance back at the boys. They have no idea how much trouble they’re in.
Then Christina’s dash pings:
CANS
A moment later, it pings again:
BACKPACKS
How could Christina possibly know what was inside their bags? Then again, she seems to notice everything. Which is ridiculous, of course—Christina doesn’t have eyes. Or does she?
A sharp knock strikes the folding doors. An officer reaches for the exterior handle and pulls it hard. The doors fold outward with a screech, and two officers climb aboard, their boots thudding against the steps. Christina shifts beneath their weight as a wave of hot, humid air rolls through the doorway, carrying the scent of sunbaked pavement. Around me, the students’ chatter fades row by row until the bus falls silent.
“Hello, sir. I’m Officer Wilmer and this is my partner, Officer Hutchins. We were dispatched by request of Ervens ISD on a report of public intoxication of a student.”
I introduce myself to the officers and tell them that the students are hiding booze in their backpacks. When Thomas and Stephen hear this, they both aggressively object.
“You ain’t even looked in my bag, Mr. Calvin,” Stephen protests. “You don’t know what’s in there!”
“Is that right? Well, open your backpacks and let us look inside,” Officer Hutchins demands.
The officers motion for the boys to hand over their backpacks and then begin searching them. It doesn’t take long. From the bags, they pull a mix of empty and unopened beer cans. With the evidence in plain sight, the officers order Thomas and Stephen to stand and escort them off the bus.
With their heads hanging, the boys sober up to the reality of what they’ve done. They may face suspension from transportation, suspension from school, and whatever charges may result from their actions. I thank the officers and close the doors behind them while the rest of the students whisper and stare out the windows as Thomas and Stephen are led to the patrol vehicle.
“Alright, everyone, I think we’ve all learned a lesson here, haven’t we? Let’s take our seats and put on our seat belts,” I say, feeling a bit more confident.
I hear the students shuffle into their seats and hear their seat belts click into place.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The familiar sound echoes through Christina’s cabin. I glance into the student mirror, scanning the rows of seated students, and every belt I can see appears secure.
Satisfied, I turn forward, fasten my seat belt, and push in the parking brake, ready to put Christina in gear. Before I can pull away, Christina’s dash pings, as if she knows exactly what I’m thinking:
NOT SO FAST
I glance back into the student mirror, adjust it, and spot a student near the rear. She glares at me with her arms folded, her seat belt hanging at her side. I signal for her to fasten her seatbelt, but she only scoffs.
What a route.
In one afternoon, I’ve faced more than enough: The false but still terrifying alarm of an active shooter at Sasha’s workplace, my own near-miss in safety at the crosswalk, and two inebriated students being escorted off the bus by the authorities. Now, after all that, one student is refusing to fasten her seat belt. For her safety, I know I can’t move the bus. I run both hands through my hair, remove my glasses, and rub my eyes and face.
Some days, transporting students is simple. Other days, it feels impossibly complicated. Right now, I can’t tell if I’m driving a bus or clinging to the front seat of a roller coaster, bracing for every twist, turn, and unexpected drop.
Christina’s dash chirps once more:
BUCKLE UP.
Ask Your Team:
What signs might indicate that a student is under the influence of alcohol or another substance, and how would you work with Dispatch to keep all students safe?
Next Stop:
Episode 4
Click It or Risk It! – Seatbelt Safety: Ensure every student is buckled up before the bus moves.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is warning motor carriers about fraudulent emails and websites impersonating its Motus registration system, with the National School Transportation Association reporting that school bus contractors are among those being targeted.
NSTA alerted members Friday that several school bus contractors around the country have received emails falsely claiming to originate from FMCSA’s Motus, which is Latin for movement or progress. The phishing messages attempt to pressure recipients into providing confidential information by warning that their registration or ability to operate could be shut down unless they act immediately.
FMCSA said bad actors have begun creating websites designed to imitate Motus. The legitimate Motus website is hosted on the federal government’s DOT.gov domain. FMCSA identified several fraudulent addresses using variations of the Motus name, including sites with “motusdatasboard,” “motusdatadesk,” “motuswebdeck” and “motusfunction” in their domain names.
The agency said customers have received emails with the subject line “Notice of Required Off-Cycle Update- Motus email” directing them to what is described as a “New MOTUS Portal.” FMCSA noted that Motus is not an acronym and should not be presented in all capital letters, another possible warning sign that a message or website is fraudulent.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted can also contact FMCSA through its Contact Center. The agency’s fraud-alert page provides additional examples of fraudulent messages and websites as well as information on reporting suspected scams.
School Bus Contractors React to Suspicious Emails
NSTA said the fraudulent communications reported by school bus contractors similarly seek confidential information while creating a sense of urgency. The association advised members to verify emails and website addresses before entering sensitive, proprietary or account information.
The warning comes as motor carriers and other regulated entities transition to Motus, which FMCSA launched this year to replace several older registration systems. The platform is designed to allow companies to apply for and manage USDOT registrations while providing stronger identity verification and fraud-prevention protections.
That transition provides an opening for scammers attempting to take advantage of operators who are still becoming familiar with the new system.
FMCSA’s fraud alert page advises users not to click suspicious links contained in unsolicited emails. Instead, recipients should hover over links to examine the actual destination and only follow links they know to be trustworthy. The agency also recommends reporting suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission and, when appropriate, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, local law enforcement or a state attorney general’s office.
FMCSA maintains a broader list of registration-related scams involving fake audit requests, fraudulent carrier-status notices, spoofed government websites and emails impersonating the agency’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Records, or SAFER, system.
NSTA urged school bus contractors to be particularly cautious with unsolicited requests for account credentials, payments, sensitive company information or proprietary data. The association said it shared at least one reported example with FMCSA and was seeking additional guidance from the agency.
The Anahuac Independent School District board approved a $159,150 in funding for purchasing and installing video cameras on existing school buses after a pickup truck nearly struck a 9-year-old girl approaching her bus in Chambers County, Texas, reported KFDM News.
Angela Nelson told local news reporters that her daughter, Lorigan, was preparing to board her school bus outside her home Sept. 18, when a pickup truck passed the stopped bus.
Video Nelson shared with local news shows Lorigan looking both ways before approaching the bus, which had its stop arm extended and red lights flashing. The girl spotted the pickup and moved away just before it passed, reportedly missing her by inches.
Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said investigators had identified and spoken with the motorist, who could face a reckless driving charge, a Class B misdemeanor.
Angela Nelson said the county attorney indicated that additional video and other evidence would be gathered and that the case could be presented to a grand jury.
Nelson also provided investigators with footage from a camera outside her home. That recording reportedly shows the school bus coming into view with its lights flashing several seconds before the pickup passes.
Texas law requires motorists approaching in either direction to stop for a school bus loading or unloading students, when its required visual signals are activated. Drivers may proceed when the bus moves, its driver signals them to proceed, or the signals stop.
Anahuac Superintendent David Walker told local reporters that the district currently has no cameras on its buses. He presented information to trustees who approved the new bus purchase and additional camera equipment.
The district was reportedly considering systems with approximately five interior cameras and two exterior cameras per bus. Walker is reviewing vendors, costs and potential funding sources, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Supplemental Environmental Projects program.
A 13-year-old student is facing an assault charge after she allegedly punched a Guilford County Schools bus driver in the head while the driver was picking up students, reported FOX 8.
The incident reportedly occurred Monday morning as the 59-year-old driver was operating a route serving Southwest Guilford Middle School in High Point, North Carolina.
High Point police officers received a report at approximately 7:35 a.m. that a school bus driver had been assaulted at a bus stop on Brentwood Street. A school resource officer responded and met with the bus driver to investigate the report.
The driver told the officer that she had stopped the bus to pick up several students, when one of the students began punching her in the head.
The driver reportedly sustained minor visible injuries during the alleged assault and told the officer that she planned to seek medical treatment. Police said they did not have additional information regarding her condition following the incident.
The school resource officer subsequently filed a juvenile petition for assault against the student. Authorities also obtained a secure custody order for the 13-year-old girl. Because the suspect is a juvenile, police did not release her name.
In North Carolina’s juvenile justice system, a secure custody order allows a juvenile to be temporarily held in a secure facility under circumstances established by state law while the case proceeds. It was not immediately clear what reportedly led to the confrontation or whether other students were on board the bus when the alleged assault occurred. Authorities also did not say whether the bus route continued following the incident or whether another driver was assigned to transport the students.
Guilford County Schools and the High Point Police Department are investigating the incident.
All 100 U.S. Senators backed the Child Safety Network’s (CSN) latest call for September to be proclaimed National School Bus Safety Month, marking 13 years of bipartisan support.
CSN has worked since 1989 to protect children from injury, exploitation and other safety threats, while providing families, schools and student transportation professionals with education, resources and best practices. Each September, CSN promotes National School Bus Safety Month, encouraging parents, students, educators, motorists and school bus professionals to recognize their shared responsibility in keeping children safe on and around the school bus. Through its Safe Ride campaign, it supports the school bus industry with driver training, the latest technology and resources for transportation professionals, students, parents, and communities.
According to a press release, this year marks a milestone for CSN and its partners, as Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska enters her second decade of leadership as prime sponsor of the month.
“CSN is deeply grateful for Fischer’s sustained commitment to student transportation safety and for the bipartisan support of the senators who have helped carry this effort forward over the years,” the release states.
Fischer said she’s proud to introduce School Bus Safety Month with Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, to support transportation professionals who keep students safe.
Since 2018, Peters has repeatedly been the resolution’s lead Democratic co-sponsor, helping secure unanimous Senate support for National School Bus Safety Month and advance student safety nationwide, including for families throughout his home state. Peters is preparing to retire from the Senate at the conclusion of his term. This year marks his sixth and final year as the resolution’s lead Democratic co-sponsor. Lincoln is a Republican.
Senate Resolution 944 introduced and unanimously passed on Sept. 30 says school buses are the largest form of mass transportation in the U.S. In an average year, the proclamation reads, 48 percent of students in kindergarten through grade 12 ride a school bus, and school buses travel more than 4 billion miles during the school year. With billions of student boarding and unloading events occurring each school year, safety extends far beyond the time a child spends seated aboard the bus, the press release states.
The 2026 resolution also highlights the importance of collaboration among local, state and federal authorities, institutions of higher education, school transportation professionals, safety organizations, technology providers, and other partners working to identify and advance solutions to preventable transportation-safety threats, the press release adds.
“It encourages broadcast, digital-media and social-networking industries to help disseminate public-service messaging that provides free resources to safeguard children, recognizes school bus operators and transportation professionals, and encourages motorists to drive more safely near school buses as students board and disembark,” it continues.
The release adds that the month is also an opportunity to recognize and thank school bus operators and transportation professionals. “Every school day, families place extraordinary trust in the people responsible for getting children safely to school and safely home again,” the release concludes.
“Parents need to have the peace of mind that when they drop their kids off at the bus stop, they will get to school and back home safely,” said Peters. “I’m proud to again co-lead this bipartisan resolution with Senator Fischer to designate September as National School Bus Safety Month. This resolution will promote safe driving practices and help provide advanced training for school bus professionals to keep our kids safe on their way to and from school.”
A 15-year-old student with autism was hospitalized for severe dehydration after reportedly spending extended periods of heat exposure on board a school bus without air conditioning, reported New York Post.
Temperatures in Chula Vista, California near San Diego reached 97 degrees during the recent heat wave.
Marisol Wojciechowski told local news reporters that her son, Gabriel, is a freshman at Hilltop High School. He released from school about 30 minutes before other students because he receives special education services. She said he was required to wait on the school bus until the other students arrived.
Wojciechowski added that her son’s autism makes it difficult for him to communicate when he is becoming overheated or feeling ill. She first noticed symptoms in early September, when Gabriel began experiencing nosebleeds, severe headaches and lightheadedness after riding the school bus.
“Right away, I would put ice pack on him on his neck and gave him water,” Wojciechowski told local news reporters.
After Gabriel repeatedly displayed the symptoms, his mother took him to an emergency room. She said medical personnel determined that he was severely dehydrated and administered intravenous fluids.
Wojciechowski later boarded the school bus herself and experienced the conditions inside. She said the bus driver told her that Gabriel could not leave the bus after he had been released into the driver’s supervision.
She said that she instructed her son to get off the bus and wait in her air-conditioned vehicle. According to Wojciechowski, the driver told her it was normal for students to remain on the bus during high temperatures.
The mother is now calling on Sweetwater Union High School District officials to implement additional precautions to protect students during periods of extreme heat.
“I want them to put the kids first,” she told local news reporters. “Leaving them on the bus is not safe, not even for five minutes during the heat.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an incident investigation into the fatal Oct. 5 school bus crash in Winter Haven, Florida, as local officials praised the bus driver’s response and provided new details about the victims and investigation.
Despite Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd initially telling reporters that the NTSB was not needed to investigate the multi-vehicle crash that occurred Monday morning, the agency said it is coordinating with his office. An NTSB spokesperson clarified for School Transportation News that it opened an incident investigation rather than a full safety investigation.
“There are no planned reports on this event, but the information we gather could be used to support other investigations and studies in the future,” the NTSB spokesperson explained.
Meanwhile, Polk County authorities identified the student who died as Adinaluz Prieto Oyola, a 16-year-old 10th-grader and cheerleader at Winter Haven High School. Deshawn Smith, 26, the driver of the Jeep struck by the bus, died at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s office. GoFundMe pages have been set up for both Prieto Oyola and Smith.
Three students remain hospitalized but are expected to recover, authorities said.
Sheriff Grady Judd said school bus driver Jessica Dye, 34, was pinned inside the vehicle but pulled herself out and immediately began helping the children on board.
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid praised Dye as a hero, citing her composure and continued focus on students throughout the crash’s aftermath.
Heid also recognized students and good Samaritans who helped. According to officials, video showed four students attempting to rescue Prieto Oyola from the bus.
Polk County Public Schools issued a new statement expressing condolences and thanking those who supported the community.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Winter Haven High sophomore Adinaluz Prieto Oyola,” the district stated. “Thank you to the many people from our county and state who have reached out to show support. A special thanks to the first responders and hospital workers who provided aid yesterday — we truly appreciate you.”
Polk County Schools officials confirmed the school bus was equipped with seatbelts. The exact type were not specified but they are thought to be lap belts, which are often used across the state. State law enacted 25 years ago required seatbelts at all school bus rider positions but did not specify between two-point lap belts and three-point lap/shoulder belts. Regardless of the type, usage by students and drivers is required.
As previously reported by School Transportation News, the crash occurred around 6:15 a.m. Monday on Lucerne Park Road, while the bus was transporting students to Winter Haven High School. Three other vehicles were involved.
The bus carried 39 people: 37 students, Dye, and her 9-year-old daughter. ABC News reported 35 of the bus inhabitants were transported across four local hospitals.
Investigators said a white Chevrolet Malibu crossed the double yellow line and struck the left rear of the eastbound school bus. Judd said a preliminary review of the school bus video showed the bus was in its proper lane before the collision.
Video released by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office shows the collision. Viewer discretion is advised. The the video shows the impact and the inside of the bus.
The impact tore a tire from the bus and caused it to lose traction, sending it into the westbound lane, where it collided head-on with Smith’s Jeep, according to authorities.
Investigators identified the Malibu driver as Maria Jimenez, 23, who is reportedly a nursing student. They said she cooperated fully, provided her phone, and voluntarily submitted a blood sample.
Authorities said blood test results remained pending. Investigators reported seeing no signs of impairment but had not determined why the Malibu crossed the center line. Judd also reportedly said cell phone usage had already been ruled out as a cause of the crash. A NTSB preliminary investigation report is expected in the coming weeks.
Judd said Jimenez would likely receive traffic citations for crossing the center line. He said criminal charges were not expected unless new evidence emerged.
Day three of a school bus driver strike has left nearly 6,000 Princeton City Schools students without their usual transportation, reported WCPO 9 News.
Contract negotiations between First Student and its school bus rivers represented by OAPSE/AFSCME Local 184 broke down last week. The union formed a picket line as drivers call for higher wages, better benefits and improved working conditions. Those talks were reportedly set to resume Tuesday.
The strike affected approximately 5,900 students and prompted the district to activate a contingency plan. DLocal 184 President Tarelle Harris said via the article that some employees struggle to afford basic necessities. “We can’t pay for fuel to even get to work. We can’t pay for food for our families,” Harris said.
Lead union negotiator Derryl Hall said via the article that the lack of employer-paid health insurance remains a major sticking point. According to Hall, many drivers rely on Medicaid, Medicare or plans obtained through the Affordable Care Act.
Union representatives also cited staffing shortages, saying the school year began with several routes unfilled, and some employees were required to drive additional routes.
Veteran driver Bobby Cornett reportedly said that improved compensation and benefits could help First Student recruit and retain drivers. Cornett said he owes $146,000 from one surgery and was required to pay $39,000 before undergoing another procedure.
Drivers said they want to return to transporting students. Harris, a Princeton graduate, said he became a driver because he wanted to give back to the district.
First Student said via the news report that it was “deeply disappointed” by the strike and disputed the union’s description of negotiations. The company said its latest proposal included an average wage increase of approximately 27 percent over a four-year contract.
First Student also said it offered to pay for mediation and provided multiple opportunities to continue bargaining. It alleged union leaders canceled scheduled negotiations, declined private mediation and ended discussions despite progress.
“The facts are clear: We came back to the table, and they did not,” the company stated via the report.
Hall disputed those claims, saying negotiations continued late Sept. 29, but produced “absolutely no progress.”
The district distributed instructional packets before the strike and provided online learning resources. Students who miss school because of transportation problems will not be penalized, district officials said.
Login
This year’s featured poster was designed by Sai Darshana Yekolu, a sixth grader at Moseley Middle School in Prosper, Texas. Yekolu was named the overall national winner of the 2026 contest after advancing through state competition.
