CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Keeping kids safe as they head back to school is a top priority in Kanawha County. Local kids are back in class starting Friday.
Kanawha County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tom Williams may be the most excited person in the county for school to start back up.
“To see the smiles on their faces and know that they’re going to get a good education, it’s just a good feeling,” Williams said Thursday.
Dr. Williams had some requests for parents as they too are preparing to send their kids to school.
“They need to make sure that their kids get a good nights sleep every night and that they are well fed,” he said. “Also, parents need to keep up with their school work and make sure they get to school every day.”
School safety is something Superintendent Williams also takes seriously.
Law enforcement officers plan to be out, patrolling the areas surrounding schools and making sure the kids are being moved to the buildings in an efficient, but more importantly, a safe manner.
Bus drivers in Kanawha County have the same priorities.
Charles Harrison is entering his 2nd year of being a bus driver for Kanawha County Schools. He said he’s excited to get back on the road and pick up and drop off kids for school. Harrison is more focused on making sure the kids who ride his bus are up to date with how to keep themselves safe.
“I make sure that the traffic is stopped and that drivers are watching out for the children in the road,” Harrison said. “If they didn’t follow the rules, something dangerous could happen.”
To prevent any major incidents, KCS transportation staff hosted its annual Safety Awareness Day Thursday in Charleston, with select students of Piedmont Elementary demonstrating a few safety procedures when moving around the school bus. Students, with the help of bus drivers, showed how to properly cross the road, and enter and exit the school bus.
Harrison said in his second year, he will be more adamant about making sure kids are also sitting in their seats correctly while the bus is in motion.
“They need to be sitting down at all times with their feet out of the aisle and their back to the seats,” Harrison said.
On Wednesday, local law enforcement agencies along with the Kanawha County Ambulance Authority, Metro 911, and Kanawha County Schools met at the Metro 911 Center in Charleston to reintroduce the measures that they will be taking starting this month considering the safety of the students.
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