Texas School Bus Driver Annoyed By Overgrown Weeds Where Kids Have To Wait At Local Bus Stop, So He Mows It Himself

Oct 08, 2019 by apost team

A bus driver was fed up with seeing his students waiting to be picked up in waist-high weeds and overgrown grass, so he took action to remedy the situation.

Jerry Martin. Jr., of Copperas Cove, Texas, has long been picking up students from Williams Ledger Elementary School, but recently he noticed what seemed to be an unsafe situation. The students were waiting in front of an abandoned house, standing in tall weeds and grass. Martin was concerned about more than inconvenience, telling local television station KWTX,“It wasn’t just grass. The weeds had popped up all over the place and they had like sticker things on there and I didn’t want the kids worried about getting bitten by a chigger.” (For those outside the South, chiggers are tiny mites that live in grass and weeds and can cause a painful rash.)

Martin's concern for his students led him to take matters into his own hands. Rather than waiting for the city to clear the overgrown property, he simply returned to the stop, lawnmower in tow, after his work day was over.

apost.com

Although lawn maintenance and landscaping don't fall within the scope of his duties, Martin didn't hesitate to put in extra hours to keep his students safe. He said looking out for students, even when he's off the clock, is simply what he does. “For my kids, I’ll just do what I have to do," he said.

While Martin says it's all in a day's work, the photographic evidence of his commitment to his kids has become an internet sensation, garnering praise from people in the area and throughout the country. The school district originally posted the photos with the words, "Three cheers for Mr. Martin!"

Local residents and former students shared the photos widely,with former students sharing examples of Martin's kindness, such as, “Mr. Martin was my elementary bus driver and he would always have fresh fruit for us to take home and was my favorite bus driver ever."

Martin says he's far from finished, and intends to keep going above and beyond for the students. “I noticed some high grass at another stop. I planned to do that today, but I’ve got an appointment but I’ll get to it,” he said.

This selfless bus driver is an inspiration. Would the world be different if we each tried to act on his example?