It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! by DR. MELISSA K. AMON, Superintendent Cushing Public Schools
Back to school is absolutely one of my most favorite times of the year. Back to school is a time of new experiences – new friends, new teachers, new schools, and new opportunities. hether your student will be attending school for the very first time or starting their senior year, back to school is a time of excitement, hope and promise for the school year to come. Back to school is also the perfect time to remind everyone about a few things that can help make the new school year a safe and rewarding experience. First, prepare to slow down! Back to school means that we are going to start seeing more students, buses, and cars on the road both before and after school. While it is important to pay attention and slow down all year long, it is especially important in the first few weeks of school as both students and parents learn new school routines. Please watch for students waiting at bus stops, loading or unloading buses, and walking to school. School buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road; they are designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in preventing crashes and injuries; and in every state, stoparm laws exist to protect children from other motorists
(NHTSA, 2022). Yellow flashing lights on a school bus mean slow down because the bus is preparing to stop. There are likely students waiting to get on the bus or parents waiting nearby to pick up students. Red flashing lights mean stop, and wait at least 20 feet behind the bus, because children are getting on or off the bus. Stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the extended arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins to move. Even when lights aren’t flashing, watch for students, particularly in the morning or mid-afternoon, around school arrival and dismissal times. Be alert as you back out of a driveway, or drive through a neighborhood, school zone, or bus stop. Please remember to slow down in school zones when the lights are flashing. The flashing lights are an indicator that students are in the area and may be walking near or crossing the road. We will face a unique challenge in Cushing as the school zone near Cushing High School is also under construction. Cushing High School is an open campus during lunch and there is a
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