I am going to the next school board meeting on September 5, 2024 to request that the Shelby County School System add air conditioning to the current and future fleet of school buses. 

My children come home from school drained and overheated every day due to the scorching heat on the school buses. Here in Alabama, the afternoon temperatures commonly reach as high as 95 degrees.  Our bus driver did a digital temperature check yesterday, August 28th and it read 114 degrees on the school bus.  

Our kids and their bus drivers bear this unbearable heat during their commute. The lack of air conditioning on Shelby County School buses is not just discomforting but also potentially dangerous. Extreme heat exposure can lead to heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses which could have serious health implications for our children and the drivers. The American Academy of Pediatrics insists on preventing high temperatures in school buses to ensure the safety and health of the children. Therefore, we ask the Shelby County School administration to take immediate steps in retrofitting  air conditioners on all existing school buses. The wellbeing of our children and those who drive them safely to and from school each day should be a top priority. Please sign this petition to help create a safer and more comfortable environment for our kids and school bus drivers.  Please pass on this petition if you have friends in the following school zones:

Calera

Chelsea

Columbiana

Helena

Montevallo

Oak Mountain

Vincent

Our school system is constantly asking us to have our children ride the school bus so traffic is not an issue.  Last year Shelby County had a serious need for bus drivers and substitutes. My family is blessed to have a wonderful bus driver, who does not need to be roasting with 40 kids on a school bus every afternoon.  The buses do have heat, so adding air conditioning shouldn't be an issue.  The schools surrounding us do have air conditioning on their buses so this is not a unachievable idea.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this petition.  I ask for your signature and if you feel so inclined, please call the Shelby County Board of Education requesting AC on the buses.  Their phone number is: (205) 682-7000.  Or attend the board meeting on September 5th in Columbiana.