Getting students to school safely

by Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy

Ahead of her early morning bus run, April Webster checks out Dare County School Bus No. 128 in the bus parking lot at Cape Hatteras Secondary School.

Before she heads out to drive Hatteras Island roads, she checks the back door to make sure it’s closed. She tries to lift every seat to make sure the seats are firmly latched. She goes outside and pokes every tire with the broomstick handle to make sure each is fully inflated. She checks the lights and inside she checks the air brakes.

Webster performs additional safety tests before slipping into her seat.

She is off to run two routes: the first for Cape Hatteras Elementary School students and the second for the older Cape Hatteras Secondary students.

Webster is a long-time bus driver. She was one when she was attending high school, something that was frequent back in the day.

For every stop, Webster puts the bus in neutral, hits a big button for the emergency brakes and then opens the door for students to climb aboard. Webster punches a counter for every student entering the bus. The process is a safety-first move. With the emergency brake engaged, if the bus is hit from behind, the big vehicle will not lurch forward and hit students crossing in front.

Comparing then to now, Webster says it is “so much better to have safety features.”

A special guest was aboard Webster’s bus. Dare County Schools Superintendent Steve Basnight drove down for the bus ride.

At the very first stop, he quickly left the bus to say hello to the parent of the bus rider, a very young student. And so it went, from the initial stop in Frisco, up NC 12 to Buxton Back Road and around and back to Buxton Back Road to Cape Hatteras Elementary School, where students calmly walked into the school building.

Unloading the 24 students was somewhat delayed by parents discharging students from cars.

The second route to pick up Cape Hatteras Secondary students started in Hatteras village. The views of Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean were a joy to behold this day. In the tall school bus, the ocean is clearly visible over the piled-up sand. Webster enjoys the view, too.

Most older students walked right by the superintendent. One didn’t and, when introduced, he immediately asked how about a four-day school week? What about half-day Fridays? Basnight answered the student’s questions.

The bus ride was a little bumpy, but not much up front; a little bumpier in the middle. The students were well behaved with no walking in the aisles or turning around in seats. The conversations were quiet.

At the secondary school, 28 stu- dents left the bus.

There is a shortage of school bus drivers and applicants are being sought. To apply to Dare County Schools to drive a school bus, call Alex Chandler at 252-4733717, ext. 3402. A high school diploma is required, as well as passing criminal background and DMV records checks.

The next step is to pass a North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles test. School bus drivers take a three-day virtual class, lasting from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A test is taken in person on the fourth day. If the test is satisfactorily scored, the bus driver then spends three days behind the wheel of a big yellow school bus. The classes are offered twice a month.

As of spring 2023, the hourly rate for Dare County school bus drivers is $20.08, plus $200 per month for perfect attendance and $1,000 bonus for perfect attendance all year.

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