Transportation Receives National Honor For ‘Promising Practices’ in Character Education
Pinellas County Schools’ transportation department has received a “Promising Practices” award from the Character Education Partnership (CEP), the only transportation department ever to receive the award. The award will be presented at the 15th Annual National Forum on Character Education Oct. 17-18 in Arlington, Va.
CEP gives the annual “Promising Practices” awards for unique and specific exemplary practices that encourage the ethical, social and academic growth of K-12 students through character education.
The practice that the CEP found promising is called “Bringing Character to School.” Its goal is safety, and the objective has been to reduce bus referrals and bring happy “characters” to school who are ready to learn. All of the more than 900 transportation employees, from drivers to secretaries, receive eight hours of in-service training. School bus safety assemblies are held, and a special curriculum has been developed for middle school. High school students created and produced a video used throughout the district to promote safety through character education.
The district’s 712 buses transport 46,000 “characters” to and from school each say, traveling 74,000 miles daily. The character trait of the month is posted on each bus along with behavior expectations. Transportation considers the ride to and from school an extension of the school day, and bus drivers are as responsible for developing students of character as the staffs in the schools. The practice has resulted in a decrease in bus referrals, thus student attendance in class has increased.
The “Promising Practices” award frequently is the first step to one of CEP’s bigger state or national awards. Pinellas County Schools, a “Promising Practices” winner in 2004, was the only district among the CEP’s 10 National Schools of Character winners in 2007. Cross Bayou Elementary, a 2005 “Promising Practices” winner, was one of 10 National Schools of Character award winners in 2006.
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