The “Bus Buddies” program returned to Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District in Texas, making the first school bus rides of the new school year a safe and fun experience for students.
An initiative that’s been at Cypress-Fairbanks for over a decade, the Bus Buddies program is designed to help younger students in the district’s 59 elementary campuses who are learning proper school bus safety and the route home from school. The program has one volunteer per school bus to ride with the students and ensure they know which stop to exit the bus. Kayne Smith, Cy-Fair ISD’s transportation director, said that the volunteers come from the community, school administration, and school board members.
The volunteers rode along with the students for the first two days of school to “assist school bus drivers to ensure our youngest riders ride safely, including wearing seatbelts, staying seated, and most importantly, ensuring they know safely exit the bus at the correct stop on the first day of school,” explained Smith.
“This has been a very successful program with hundreds of volunteers in our district. We are very fortunate for this support from our administration, Board, and community for our drivers and our youngest students on these first days of school,” he added.
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