Listen
It’s something that most parents take for granted, that once their children board the school bus every morning, they’ll make it to class safely, ready to hit the books. As Houston public radio’s Jack Williams reports, local school bus drivers are doing what they can to make sure that happens, a process that isn’t as easy as it might look.
arol Bolden is one of a thousand Houston School District bus drivers who have taken anti-terrorism training over the past year. She’s getting ready to check her bus, one of two inspections she’ll perform as part of a daily routine developed under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security.
Bolden will wiggle mirrors, kick tires, and check inside the door to the gas tank among other things before she heads inside the bus to make sure everything is in place there.
She drives one of 800 HISD buses that hit the road every school day, transporting more than 45,000 students across the city.
As she checks under seats and adjusts mirrors, Bolden says the thought of terrorism doesn’t keep her up at night.
School bus drivers in other big cities like Cleveland, Atlanta and Washington D.C. have also undergone the anti-terrorism training.
