About 9,000 school bus drivers went on strike in New York City last week. They want better job protection. That got people thinking about the role bus drivers play on a child's education.
In Florida, full-time school bus drivers are paid an average of $17,000 a year. And being a school bus driver involves much more than just driving students safely.
Ever wonder what school bus drivers do while students are in class? They wait - unpaid - at a school bus driver's lounge. At one of the lounges near Miami it's all navy blue pants, white polo shirts, and bow-ties. A uniform many of the drivers are super proud to wear.
Gwendolyn Tillman has been a school bus driver for 24 years. She has a dual role. Drive safely and always be aware of what's going on - everywhere - with up to 85 students behind her. It's not an easy task.
In Miami-Dade the majority of the bus drivers are women which can add to the challenge of keeping kids in line. Like when high school boys get in a fight.
"Usually if there's some other guys on the bus and the guys have respect for the bus drivers, the other young men on the bus will pull them apart", said Tillman.
If nobody pulls the kids apart, then bus drivers are instructed to call the district. Not the police. It's the same protocol for any emergency on a school bus. And that has sparked some controversy in Florida.
In Hillsborough, a 7-year-old girl with a neuro-muscular disorder died after having trouble breathing on the school bus. The driver called the district, and the girl's mom. Not 911.
The little girl died. The district couldn't comment because they're being sued by the girl's parents.
But over in Miami, Jerry Klein - who is in charge of school transportation - says calling the district dispatcher is just as good as calling the police.
"We have access as quickly as they do to be able to call", said Klein. "You don't really save time. But beyond that, the dispatcher has a wide variety of people and try to get the closest people there to be able to assist, especially if its a serious emergency."
After the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Florida lawmakers began calling for ramped up security in schools, adding panic buttons and installing locks on classroom doors.
School security upgrades throughout the state could cost $100 million this year. But school buses, have not been a part of the conversation. In Miami-Dade - Florida's largest district - school buses don't even have security cameras.
Some parents say its too much to ask for school bus drivers to drive and discipline at the same time. The most recent state data on misbehavior on school buses is from 5 years ago. There were more than 2,000 incidents.
But 12-year-old Sarah Godby says its the small things that are not reported that can really set the tone for the school day.
"They throw rocks and they throw pens outside the window", said Godby. "It's good from where I sit but in the back its not the best."
Sonia Hanson has been a driver for 28 years. She says managing the students has gotten harder.
"They want to bully you, they want to be in control of the bus. Having their head or their hands out the window", Hanson described. "It's, it's, it's stressful. Especially when you're dealing with the traffic. That's a big deal."
Students who repeatedly misbehave can be suspended or banned from riding a school bus. But bus drivers say that's a last resort. It could mean a student is not able to get to school.