Baltimore school bus attendant is inspired by the students who trust her

Melea Anderson knows that the trust the students place in her comes with big responsibilities. A school bus attendant for Baltimore County Public Schools, she wears many hats.

“Bus attendants, we’re basically moms, nurses, mentors,” says Anderson, who has been a bus attendant for 14 years. “A lot of responsibilities.”

First and foremost, Anderson thinks about the students’ safety.

“You definitely have to make sure that the kids are safe,” she says. “We monitor children that are in wheelchairs or (special) seats. Bus attendants make sure they hook the wheelchairs down correctly so that the children don’t get hurt or a chair doesn’t fall over. I have a couple of kids that can’t walk very well, so I do help them on and off the bus, help them up the steps and help them down the steps.”

Anderson, a member of AFSCME Maryland Council 3, goes beyond what is expected of her, which is why she is the latest winner of our union’s Never Quit Service Award. The award recognizes public service workers who go above and beyond the call of duty to make their communities better.

Anderson knew a student who lived with her grandmother, and when her grandmother passed away, the student didn’t want to go to school anymore. So, Anderson made it a point of calling her every morning to make sure that she was up and ready to get on the bus.

“One time, she told me, ‘I just thank God for you that you came into my life because nobody else cares for me like you do,’” Anderson says. “And, of course, that was an ugly cry.”

To Anderson, her job is not just a job but a calling. And the reason has everything to do with the students she serves.

“They trust you,” Anderson says of the students. “That bond and that impact on those children’s lives, that’s what keeps me doing this.”