Education notebook
Drivers of buses to log illegal passers
Arkansas is asking all school bus drivers statewide to record the number of vehicles that illegally pass their stopped buses on Wednesday.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, and the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation will use information from the oneday survey to determine the prevalence of illegal passing of school buses and to help improve safety countermeasures at the state and national level.
Bus drivers are asked to report instances to their supervisors of drivers passing them when their buses are stopped and the buses’ red warning lights are flashing and stop arms are deployed.
School districts are asked to record the district totals and report them using the online survey provided at https://bit.ly/2PjkPFT between Thursday and May 1.
School districts should submit results for every driver even if no violations occur.
In 2018, 3,258 school bus drivers representing 194 districts participated in the survey and reported more than 850 instances of illegally passing of stopped school buses. That was up from 726 instances in 2017, according to the Arkansas Department of Education.
Volunteers group presents awards
Little Rock School District Volunteers in Public Schools last week presented its highest award for volunteerism, the Jane Mendel Award, to Dale Ronnel, for her exceptional level of service.
The Mendel Award was among the honors presented to 104 individuals and business organizations last week at the organization’s An Evening for the Stars in recognition of their services to the district.
Elizabeth Eckford, one of the nine black students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, received the 2019 Mentor Award.
Teen’s essay wins ideas scholarship
Sakshi Garg, a junior at Little Rock Central High School, is the winner of the annual “Ideas Matter” scholarship essay contest sponsored by the Clinton Foundation.
Garg addressed the matter of food insecurity and food waste by endorsing an efficient food recovery system that would connect people and entities with excess food to those in need via a digital application.
The contest encourages Arkansas high school students to turn their good ideas into action to confront some of today’s most pressing challenges. The winner of the essay contest receives a $2,500 college scholarship.
The panel of judges selected as runners-up Ava Horton, a junior at Little Rock Central High School who addressed childhood obesity, and Mark Ball, a senior at Bryant High School whose essay discussed how to improve public health.