Dallas Co. Schools Ready to Start New School Year
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From the West Alabama Newsroom– Student safety was a top focus of the back to school teacher and support staff institute for Dallas County Schools Thursday in Selma.
Superintendent Don Willingham brought in Dale County School Superintendent Donny Bynum to speak with teachers and staff — as they get ready to head back to school.
Bynum shared some of the lessons his district learned from the 2013 Alabama bunker hostage crisis when 66 year old, Jimmy Lee Dykes got on a school bus, shot and killed the driver, Charles Poland, Jr., and kidnapped a 5 year old student.
Dykes held the child hostage in a bunker for nearly a week, before police stormed the bunker and killed him and rescued the child.
“We’ve instructed our bus drivers not to carry on any conversations while on the route,” said Bynum.
Gwen Lytle is bus driver for Dallas County Schools.
“It makes me aware of my situation and what’s going on around me,” she said. “We have to stay focused so we can keep our kids safe.”
School officials say about 90 percent of all students in the district — travel to and from school — by school bus.
The first day of school is Monday, August 17th.
