MARIETTA, Ga. — As student returned to school in Marietta, Superintendent Grant Rivera and district bus drivers urged drivers to slow down this school year.
He also shared what changes are coming to classrooms when it comes to how technology is used to learn.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was at the Marietta City Schools bus barn, where drivers and school officials shared their concerns about safety over the school year.
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Bus drivers returned to welcome signs, music and treats before reuniting with students.
While they were excited to see students again, drivers said their joy for the school year was tempered by concern about what other drivers do on the road and the choices they make.
They told Channel 2 Action News they want people on the road to pay more attention to school buses.
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“All drivers, please slow down, please slow down,” driver Cathy Wells said.
The superintendent echoed the sentiment, but with a suggestion for how to go.
“Our children’s safety is our highest priority,” Rivera said. “You can wave at a bus, and go slow as you pass.”
Wells, who has 25 years of experience as a bus driver, doesn’t miss a beat to keep students safe.
But Wells still said drivers need to be aware.
“If you see the yellow lights on the bus, please get ready to stop, just stop,” Wells said. “That’s the biggest thing because we’re just trying to get them picked up and to school.”
At the bus barn, Wells showed Channel 2 Action News how she checks her bus each morning.
She said she always checks that the seats on the bus are secure and attached and that her amber lights are working. She also opens the door to make sure the stop arm comes out.
On top of reminders about school bus safety for drivers, Rivera told Newell that the district was starting off with changes to how students use technology.
The new school year is bringing new rules for screen time and technology’s role in class, limiting how often it’s used.
In Marietta middle and high schools, Chromebooks are still allowed, but there will be limits on how often screens are used for teaching and learning.
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