DAVIE, Fla. — Broward County school bus drivers are already preparing for the start of the school year, taking practice routes and reviewing stops before thousands of students return to classrooms.

The buses may not be carrying students yet, but drivers are making sure they are ready for the first morning pickup — learning their routes, checking bus stops and preparing for the daily responsibility of getting children to school safely and on time.

For many students, the bus driver is the first school employee they see each day.

“We have to be super uplifting and upbeat because many kids are very sleepy and because they are the first person that they see from Broward Schools, it’s very important that we are nice to them,” said Susana Oyola, a Broward County school bus driver.

Drivers say safety begins before the bus leaves the yard.

“When we go to our bus, we make sure we walk around, inspect our bus, make sure that no scratches, no damage, maybe occur in the wrong summertime,” said bus driver Ricardo Laspome. “We walk around, make sure the tires are OK, and the windshield is clean, check our fuel and stuff like that.”

This school year, drivers will also have new technology assisting them on the road.

Automated cameras have been installed on school buses to identify drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended — a violation that can put children in danger.

“That is so dangerous, and we try our best,” said bus driver Maria Clark. “A lot of times we’re making our stop to make sure that we give proper warning so that this doesn’t happen, but at times it happens, but it’s very dangerous.”

While students enjoy the final days of summer break, bus drivers are already putting in the work to prepare for the first day.

When the first bell rings, they say they’ll be ready to roll.

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