Atlanta Public Schools Participating In Georgia Commute Schools

ATLANTA, GA -- Georgia Commute Schools, a program of Georgia Commute Options, is addressing the importance of school bus safety during National School Bus Safety Week, held October 22-26. National School Bus Safety Week is an active and evolving public education program of the National Association for Pupil Transportation. Atlanta Public Schools, along with DeKalb County schools, are participating this year. Georgia Commute Schools will provide toolkits for school districts that include school bus safety tips, parent and teacher correspondence, and marketing content to build awareness.

This year’s national theme is "My Driver - My Safety Hero!" The theme of National School Bus Safety Week is derived from last year’s Poster Contest. The winning poster was drawn by Aumkar Patel, a 5th grader at Henry County Schools in McDonough, GA.

“Students are 70 times more likely to get to school safely if they take the school bus instead of traveling by car. Atlanta Public Schools appreciates all that our 405 bus drivers do to keep the 28,000 students in our ridership safe to and from school,” said Dr. Meria Carstarphen, Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent.

"National School Bus Safety Week allows us to take a moment to acknowledge these workers’ dedication and commitment to the education process. National School Bus Safety Week is one not taken lightly in DeKalb County. Every single student’s life is precious. Time is taken to educate our staff and communities on how to properly wait for, ride and depart a school bus, and should be considered invaluable. The more we can promote - and celebrate - safe practices at our schools, the better,” said Dr. R. Stephen Green, DeKalb County School District Superintendent/CEO.

Georgia Commute Options, a program managed by the Atlanta Regional Commission and funded through the Georgia Department of Transportation, works with employers, commuters and schools to encourage drivers who ride alone to make the switch to a commute alternative such as riding transit, teleworking, carpooling, vanpooling, walking and/or biking, with the ultimate goal of reducing congestion and the emissions that contribute to smog pollution.

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