SNOW HILL — School bus drivers in Greene County have a higher initiative when they navigate roads in the early-morning hours during the 2019-20 academic year.

The Greene County Board of Education unanimously approved a Blue Ribbon and White Ribbon program during its meeting Monday evening.

"[It's] an incentive program to encourage better driver attendance," Dr. Patrick Miller, superintendent of Greene County Schools, said. “Responsibility, ownership, importance of relationships that drivers build with the students and parents; and set goals [for drivers] for attendance and performance."

The first monitoring period started Monday and ends Nov. 20. The second trimester runs from Nov. 21-March 3. The final trimester is March 4-June 5.

Criteria for the blue ribbon includes professionalism, communication, discipline, performance and attendance. All standards for the blue ribbon apply for the white ribbon with one exception — the driver may not miss more than three full days during any three-month period.

A blue ribbon award is worth $100 to the drivers, while the white ribbon is $50. A blue or white vinyl ribbon will be placed on the driver's/monitor's bus alongside the number by a staff member from the bus garage. Each receives a certificate to acknowledge their achievement.

The "Substitute Driver of the Year" receives $100.

"We're hoping that this will help us maintain buses that are fully staffed and on the road all year long," Miller said. "We are one of the last districts to implement some sort of incentive program to help spur us along the way."

During the most recent meeting, the school board heard from Raymond Smith, the county's executive director for human resources. He presented a recruitment and selection of personnel policy code, and a classified personnel suspension and dismissal policy code. The two documents were tabled in a previous BOE meeting.

Each of Smith's proposals received a unanimous vote.

Dr. Frank Creech, chief academic officer, tabled two proposals — student promotion and accountability and graduation requirements. The board listened intently as Creech described revised changes in each policy that should help students academically.

In a closed session, the board approved the transfers of 10 students, six resignations over the summer, three transfers within in the district that involved two teachers and a secretary and 12 new hires.

The board's next meeting is Sept. 9 at Greene Early College High School.