Thanks to those who see our kids safely to school

There can be plenty of problems getting a kid off to school.

Did he get up in time, more importantly, did he go to sleep in time to be rested up enough to stay awake in class?

Is her homework done? Where is it?

How about breakfast — here’s a frozen sausage biscuit, or maybe the school breakfast is a better option today.

One thing we don’t worry about, much, is actually getting them to school.

Oh yes, the weather is a definite factor, especially this time of year. But administrators are diligent about taking icy roads and snowy conditions into account, delaying or even canceling class if necessary.

That’s especially important since consolidation set in in rural America, where twice-a-day bus ride lasting an hour or more are not unusual.

But, usually, arriving safely at class is a non-event.

That wasn’t the case in Kansas City, Kan., on Tuesday, when two children were preparing to cross the street the street to Christ the King Parish School.

Crossing guard Bob “Mr. Bob” Nill saw trouble, and called to the kids to stop.

They did, thank God, but the car speeding through the school zone did not, in time, at least.

Nill, 88, was struck by the car and rushed to a hospital, where doctors were unable to save him.

Nill was a Coast Guard veteran and worked in banking before retiring. He saw his retirement job as crossing guard as a way to stay busy and give back to his community.

He certainly did that, possibly saving those two children's lives.

Such dedication is not unusual.

In Brand Meadow, Minn., Glen Davis, who was also 88, will be buried in a special casket on Friday.

It’s a yellow school bus replica, complete with “Grand Meadow Schools ISD #495” lettered on the side, a stop arm, lights and the Blue Bird bus emblem.

It’s also labeled “No. 3,” the same as the first bus Davis drove for the school district in southern Minnesota, a job he held for 55 years.

He started driving in 1949 after graduating from high school, milking cows and farming after finishing his bus route.

The idea of a school bus casket started off as a joke, but funeral director Jim Hindt was able to create the special coffin with the help of Davis’ son-in-law, who owned a graphic arts business at the time.

Hindt made the effort in order to repay his friend for the kindness and comfort Davis offered when Hindt’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer as a toddler.

Davis was “speechless” when he saw the casked, his daughter, Lisa Hidge, told the Star Tribune. “He was just overjoyed, and he couldn’t believe somebody was actually able to do it for him.”

We’re grateful to all those involved in seeing our children safely to school. Bus drivers, crossing guards, crews who clear the roads, streets and sidewalks, officers who patrol school zones -- all are vital links in the chain that makes it possible for our children to learn.

Let’s do all we can to make their jobs easier.

Drivers, please stay off your cell phones and slow down in school zone and stop when bus lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended for picking up and dropping off kids.

And, next time you have to wait for kids crossing the street, don’t forget to thank the person who made you stop.