The American School Bus Council announced prior to Christmas that it is again pushing the importance of "Love the Bus" events nationwide.

Coinciding with Valentines Day on Feb. 14, "Love the Bus" began in 2007 as a way for students, parents and educators to recognize the jobs performed by school bus drivers.

“School bus drivers play a critical role in the lives and educations of the nation’s students and the Love the Bus program is a fun way for us to recognize their dedication,” Charlie Hood, then NASDPTS president, said earlier this year during the 2010 Love the Bus campaign. “While nationwide, communities will participate in a variety of activities and events that honor school bus drivers, we also encourage parents and students to simply take the time to say ‘thank you’ to their drivers during this celebratory month."

Transportation directors at local school districts were encouraged to send letters and emails to their school principals to pass along ideas on how teachers can celebrate Love the Bus as well as sending information home with students who ride school buses. ASBC is also asking school district communication officers to participate by sending press releases to local media outlets, including ASBC's School Bus Champion Program, which launched earlier this year and utilizes industry representatives to spread the school bus message.

Other suggested school district initiatives include encouraging drivers of elementary routes to decorate the insides of their school buses with Valentine's decorations. Another example ASBC gave was implementing a bulletin board inside the buses that students can use for posting notes and drawings. ASBC also asked that buses be allowed to park at school campuses on Feb. 14, so classrooms could visit the buses, thank the drivers and leave personal notes.

"This is always good for students who are non-bus riders so that they too can experience the inside of a bus," said Alexandra Robinson, president-elect of NAPT.

ASBC also is making available toolkits and related information on the Love the Bus Web site to help keep all transportation staff and school board members aware of national LTB activities.

State directors of pupil transportation services were also asked to create Web pages specific to their state's Love the Bus activities, similar to one in North Carolina, and to send emails to local district directors encouraging them to participate. The state reps were also asked to coordinate the riding of a school bus by a state official, host online webinars or post videos that explain Love the Bus and to make an official announcement or proclamation utilizing information from the ASBC's yellow bus champion program.

School bus contractors were also asked to participate by giving drivers a Love the Bus logo item such as a T-shirt, pin or sticker and asking the drivers to wear them the entire week of Valentine's; host a driver appreciation event; purchase ad space on a billboard near a high-traffic area; and issue a joint press release to the local media.

ASBC also called on all industry professionals to utilize social networking sites Like Facebook and Twitter to push Love the Bus. ASBC suggested co-hosting with school administrators a driver appreciation night and organizing driver appreciation events with local PTA representatives, hosting events at school where students can thank drivers personally while learning more about school bus safety, provide teachers with Love the Bus lesson plans, and ask schools to post notices on signage about the event.

The American School Bus Council is presenting a webcast hosted by School Transportation News on how school districts, bus companies, state agencies and others can partner on holding events.