First published October 12, 2019.
In September 2019 a school bus driver in central Texas did something that was not in his job description. Jerry Martin, who drives for the Copperas Cove Independent School District, noticed that the grass at one of his stops had grown so tall that children were waiting for the bus in the weeds. So he came back with a lawn mower and cut it himself.
The district shared a photo of the freshly mown stop on Facebook on 25 September 2019, praising Martin for his thoughtfulness, and local and national news outlets picked up the story within days. Here is what happened, why the stop was overgrown in the first place, and why small acts like this matter more than they might seem.
What Jerry Martin did
The stop sits in front of a house that, according to the district, was vacant, and the owner was not keeping up with the yard. With nobody living there, the grass kept growing, and the children on Martin's route had to stand in it every morning and walk through it every afternoon.
Rather than waiting for someone else to deal with it, Martin brought a mower and cleared the area so the students had a tidy, open place to wait. The district made the photo its "picture of the week" and cheered him on in its post.
Parents responded warmly. One called him a wonderful man and said the family appreciated everything he does; another said the district could not ask for a better driver to look after their children. A former student remembered him as a favourite driver from elementary school who used to hand out fresh fruit, and was glad he was still looking out for kids.
Copperas Cove and its schools
Copperas Cove is a city of about 36,700 people (2020 census) in Coryell County, Texas, nicknamed the "City of Five Hills". Its economy is closely tied to the neighbouring Army post, Fort Hood, and it forms part of the Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. Most of the city is served by the Copperas Cove Independent School District.
In a spread-out city like this, bus routes can pass open lots, newer neighbourhoods and, occasionally, empty houses. That is how a single neglected yard can end up as the daily waiting room for a group of children.
Why the waiting area at a bus stop matters
Riding the bus is one of the safest ways for children to get to school. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that the school bus is among the safest vehicles on the road, and that children are at greater risk when approaching or leaving the bus than when riding it. That makes the stop itself an important part of the journey.
NHTSA advises children to arrive at least five minutes early, wait at least ten feet (about five giant steps) back from the curb, and never treat the stop as a place to run around. Those habits are much easier to follow on short, open ground than in knee-high grass.
Tall grass brings its own nuisances. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that ticks live in grassy, brushy and wooded areas and advises avoiding overgrown spots where possible. Long grass can also hide uneven ground, litter and puddles, and it soaks shoes and clothes on a dewy morning. None of this is an emergency, but for a child standing there five days a week, it adds up.
Small acts of care in everyday jobs
Stories like this spread because they are easy to recognise. Most people can remember a bus driver, a caretaker or a lunch worker who knew their name and looked out for them. Bus drivers in particular are often the first adult from school that a child sees each morning and the last one in the afternoon, and their mood can set the tone for the whole day.
Martin's gesture was practical rather than dramatic. He noticed a problem affecting the people in his care, and he fixed it with the tools he had. That kind of attention is a big part of what makes a community feel safe.
What to do about an overgrown or unsafe bus stop
Not everyone can or should mow somebody else's property, and it is worth remembering that the yard in this story belonged to an absent owner. If a stop near you is overgrown, poorly lit or otherwise unsafe, there are simpler routes:
- Tell the school district's transportation department, which can review the stop location.
- Report neglected vacant lots to your city or county, since many local governments have rules on high weeds and can contact the owner.
- Talk to neighbours, a homeowners' association or a parent group about a one-off clean-up, with the owner's or the city's permission.
- Teach children the basic stop habits: arrive early, stand well back from the road, and wait for the driver's signal before crossing.
And when someone like Jerry Martin quietly goes the extra mile, telling them, and telling their employer, is a simple way to make sure that kind of care is noticed.
Sources: CBS News Texas: School bus driver mows grass at stop so kids aren't in the weeds (2019); FOX 29: Texas school bus driver mows grass outside vacant home; Copperas Cove ISD on Facebook; Wikipedia: Copperas Cove, Texas; NHTSA: School bus safety; CDC: Preventing tick bites.
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