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The award, recognizes Valentino's exemplary service and safety record. The award is part of the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board’s efforts to promote school bus safety, given in conjunction with the launch of the annual Operation Safe Stop Project supported by the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
Valentino, who has been employed by the Pawling Central School District for seven years and has been an accident-free bus driver for more than 37 years, was presented this morning with a commemorative plaque and honored as the School Bus Driver of the Year at the Operation Safe Stop kickoff press conference at the Pawling Central School District offices.
Molinaro said, “I commend Mr. Valentino for his dedication to the students he safely transports each day and the community that relies on his faithful service. Every day, parents entrust their children to Mr. Valentino and countless school bus drivers like him who are committed to ensuring the students in their charge arrive at school, ready to learn, and make a safe return in the afternoon. I congratulate Mr. Valentino on his exemplary driving record, and our community thanks him for his devotion to our children.”
Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson said, “There is no greater duty we share than the safety of our children. School bus drivers, their supervisors, law enforcement officials and local leaders take that obligation seriously. Dutchess County residents can be proud of the collaboration of partners assembled to protect their children on their way to and from school.”
Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board Administrator William C. Johnson said, “Mr. Valentino is a model driver who understands and embraces what it is to be a school bus driver – not just what it takes to drive a school bus. He has achieved an exceptional safety record and Mr. Valentino’s contributions to the Pawling district go way beyond his ability and passion to safely transport children. He is respected by supervisory staff, his peers, as well as the students and parents he has touched over the years.”
The Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year Award represents a collaborative partnership with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the Mid-Hudson Transportation Supervisor’s Association the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board, and the Culinary Institute of America has again graciously donated a gift certificate to the award winner.
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