From left, Clear Lake CHP Office Commander Lt. Dane Hayward, Glenn Courtney, Officer Mike Humble, Lakeport Unified Superintendent Erin Hagberg and Dave Norris, the district's transportation supervisor. Photo courtesy of CHP.

LAKEPORT – A local school bus driver who has taken local children safely to school for more than three decades received a special honor Tuesday.

At a presentation at Lakeport Unified School District, the California Highway Patrol recognized school bus driver Glenn Courtney with the 2006 School Bus Driver of the Year Award for his years of service and professional driving, reported Officer Mike Humble.

Only two of the awards are given out each year, for Northern and Southern California, said Humble.

Courtney wasn't expecting an award, Humble said, so the presentation came as a complete surprise.

Helping surprise him Tuesday were his family, along with California Highway Patrol Northern Division Chief Bell, Clear Lake Area CHP Commander Lt. Dane Hayward, Humble, Officer Josh Dye, Lakeport Unified Superintendent Erin Hagberg and Dave Norris, the district's transportation supervisor, Humble reported.

For the last two and a half years, Humble has been the Clear Lake CHP Office's school bus safety officer. He oversees the county's 32 school bus drivers, working with them to complete the rigorous requirements necessary for bus driver certification.

Humble nominated Courtney for the award, citing his 31 years of driving without a single collision.

Courtney has logged more than 400,000 miles as a driver, said Humble. The only thing that surpasses Courtney's longevity on the job, according to Humble, is his commitment to students' safety. Teachers and coaches described Courtney as “safe, dependable and conscientious.”

Humble said he believes Courtney is the first Lake County school bus driver to receive the state award.

School bus drivers are the most regulated commercial drivers on the road, said Humble. Every five years they must go through a stringent recertification process.

“The standards are so high, I don't know what more we could ask from them,” said Humble.

The standards pay off, said Humble, with drivers safely transporting children back and forth to school each day.

Humble said a study has found school buses to be the safest form of travel in the United States.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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