Bus Buddies to help CFISD children get home safely

Photo courtesy Joel Weckerly, Cy-Fair ISD

Cy-Fair ISD is asking for the community's help with the annual Bus Buddies volunteer program.

Each year, citizens and representatives from local businesses help CFISD bus drivers ensure their students are getting off the bus at the proper stop by riding along on the after-school bus ride. Leslie Francis, CFISD's director of marketing and business relations, said the district hopes to get 500 volunteers, nearly 150 more than years past.

"It just helps to have an extra adult on each bus while those bus drivers are driving safely to get the little kids off," Francis said.

The program is targeted at younger students, specifically ones who have a difficult time adjusting from the summer lifestyle. Children tend to get sleepy and stressed out during their first few days of school, Francis said, which could cause them to miss their bus stop.

"The Bus Buddies will assist in making sure there are no sleeping kids," Francis said. "All schools give a name tag with bus number and place they get off. The Bus Buddy will make sure those little kids will get off where they need to be."

Volunteers must register online where they can choose the route of their liking. There is no training necessary, but volunteers are required to face the same check-in procedure school visitors undergo, wherein they run their driver's license ID through CFISD's VSoft Safety System.

The program runs Aug. 25–27 from 2:45-4:45 p.m. at 36 different CFISD campuses. Volunteers can sign up for each day individually or choose to serve all three days.