MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – South Florida students are clinging to those last few days of summer break, but the bus drivers who bring those kids to and from school are already on the job.
Hundreds of yellow school buses will be driving around Miami-Dade County beginning Aug. 22, the first day of the 2016-2017 school year.
"It's very important because the first day of school they will have no problem when they go out," instructor Maxime Diaz said. "They know everything is ready to pick up the children on time and get them to the school safely."
The preparation started months ago. School bus drivers went through a training that consisted of 40 hours in a classroom and 40 hours behind the wheel.
"We choose the best drivers to drive those kids safely to school," Diaz said.
The bus drivers were getting acquainted with their school routes Monday in preparation for next week. There are 1,170 school buses in Miami-Dade County that transport nearly 55,000 students daily through more than 900 different routes.
"Their primary responsibility is insuring that the kids get on the bus on time, that they arrive to school on time and that they are delivered home on time and safely," Miami-Dade County Public Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
This year, 60 additional GPS units were added on the buses, bringing the total to 852 buses with the feature.
The safety feature allows administrators to track each bus's progress along the route.
With school a week away, it's also time to remind other drivers to obey traffic laws when they do see a school bus. When a bus stops, drivers are expected to stop as well, especially when the arm is about to extend.
"The children will either be departing the bus or walking toward the bus, so place close attention to what's going on around you, particularly around school zones, particularly around pick-up areas for students," Carvalho said.