A school bus is a moving classroom, USD 257 bus driver Pat Spencer, of Gas, said.
Drivers have to convince a group of children to behave, stay seated and follow the rules, while navigating through long rural roads or busy city streets.
Meanwhile, they parry unexpected questions from their young riders.
?Are you a mom today or a grandma?? one student asked Spencer recently. A mom is strict and makes them follow the rules, while a grandma lets them get away with a little rowdy behavior.
Spencer, of course, can be both strict and fun. She likes to decorate her bus for holidays, but last year she started making students sit in assigned seats to reduce conflicts. Younger children sit in the front, where she can keep a closer eye on them.
Spencer became a bus driver about 10 years ago, when she retired from a career in the postal service. She worked 25 years inside an office, including as postmaster, but secretly she?d always wanted to be a rural letter carrier.
?This is close. Instead of delivering mail, I?m delivering children,? she said.
TODAY IS School Transportation Appreciation Day, as proclaimed by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. National School Bus Safety Week is October 21-25.
This is a good opportunity to remind motorists, parents and students about the role bus drivers play in the school system, Aaron Cole, transportation director for USD 257, and Chi Wiggins, administrative assistant for transportation, said.
Last year, USD 257 buses drove 64,315 miles of regular routes and 77,444 miles of special education routes. Another 110,179 miles of activity routes brings the total to 251,938 miles of bus driving.
Scheduling those routes can be a challenge, Wiggins said. Regular bus routes can?t be figured until after enrollment in August, giving her just about two weeks to set the routes. Students also need to be transported to other districts to participate in special classes like building trades in Yates Center or an automotive repair program at Garnett, as well as to the Rural Regional Technical Center in LaHarpe or other places.
Most drivers have a morning route, then return for the after-school route. The morning routes typically have fewer riders, as parents are more likely to take children to school.
If a driver is absent, Wiggins taps one of the substitute drivers to fill in.
?Sometimes they only get a day?s notice for an activity or a route,? Wiggins said. ?It?s hard with very irregular hours, but they?re always willing to help each other out. They do a good job and I appreciate that.?
Wiggins assigns special routes like to sporting events on a monthly basis. Some sports require multiple buses, like softball and baseball. Some teams also have a preferred driver. Last year?s baseball team wanted David Lero, a substitute driver, to take them to every game.
