October 19, 2021
For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
Office of Communications
301-952-6001
communications@pgcps.org
UPPER MARLBORO, MD – For National School Bus Safety Week Oct. 18-22, Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) has partnered with American College of Education (ACE) to celebrate the men and women who help transport nearly 90,000 students to school each day for their integral role ensuring safety inside and outside of school buses.
Held during the third full week of October annually by the National Association for Pupil Transportation, this year’s School Bus Safety Week theme is “1 Bus + 1 Driver = a BIG Impact on Education.” PGCPS Director of Transportation Rudolph Saunders underlines the impact of school bus drivers — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The role drivers and attendants play in ensuring student safety cannot be overstated,” Saunders said. “In addition to highlighting our investments in technology to improve safety, we want to take this opportunity to celebrate the dedication of our team who are doing ‘more’ as we continue to navigate challenges presented by the pandemic.”
This week, PGCPS and ACE invite students, teachers and staff, families and community members to nominate PGCPS bus drivers who go above and beyond. On Friday, Oct. 22, ACE will randomly select five drivers to receive $50 gift cards. All drivers nominated will be entered into a grand prize drawing in the spring for a chance to win $1,000.
“Through our longstanding partnership with Prince George’s County Public Schools, we’ve been able to enact our mission of providing high-quality, accessible education for all,” said Tony Miller, Director of Strategic Partnerships at ACE. “We’re grateful for this opportunity to celebrate the dedicated bus drivers who provide equal access to quality education for students of all backgrounds.”
This school year, PGCPS introduced several safety-focused upgrades to its fleet of more than 1,200 school buses, including stop-arm cameras that capture video of motorists who violate school bus traffic laws resulting in citation; GPS-enabled tablets offering drivers real-time data; and a new mobile app to help families monitor bus location and schedules.
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About American College of Education
ACE is an accredited, completely online college specializing in affordable programs in education, leadership, healthcare and nursing. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 70 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, master’s or bachelor’s degree, along with micro-credentials and graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation. Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
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