Abington School District Observes National School Bus Safety Week

October is National School Bus Safety Month, and beginning yesterday through this Friday, it’s National School Bus safety week. During this week, the Abington School District is recognizing bus safety with various events and activities throughout the district.

In partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Community Information and Education, safety tips and best practices will be shared throughout the week on Abington School District’s social media channels. Today, Tuesday, October 19th is bus driver appreciation day and tips and best practices will be provided to drivers to make sure they are keeping themselves safe as well while they transport students. 

The main event for School Bus Safety Week, Operation Safe Stop is Wednesday, October 20th. Held in partnership with the Abington Township Police Department, Operation Safe Stop is a statewide program coordinated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) that attempts to raise awareness and educate Pennsylvania drivers that passing a stopped school bus, when children are loading or unloading, is both dangerous and illegal. In the Abington School District, problem areas are identified by the District’s Supervisor of Transportation, and police officers monitor these trouble spots in order to catch those who violate the School Bus Stopping Law and issue the violators tickets. Bus drivers also monitor any violations that they witness and then record and send this information to PennDOT for reporting purposes.

From the Abington School District:

The theme for this year’s Operation Safe Stop is “Be Safe – Know the Danger Zone,” which reminds students to stay 10 feet from the bus as it approaches the bus stop and while loading and unloading. The “Danger Zone” is the area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of not being seen by the driver (ten feet in front of the bus where the driver may be too high to see a child, ten feet on either side of the bus where a child may be in the driver’s blind spot, and the area behind the school bus).

For more info on Operation Safe Stop, click here.