Muskogee Schools Hire Bilingual Bus Assistants

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) -- The Muskogee school system has hired two bilingual bus assistants and is looking for a third.<br/><br/>The school district's transportation director says the bilingual assistants

Tuesday, November 7th 2006, 8:51 am

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) -- The Muskogee school system has hired two bilingual bus assistants and is looking for a third.

The school district's transportation director says the bilingual assistants are available for Spanish-speaking students, a number that is growing in Muskogee.

She says about 2,200 children ride Muskogee school buses daily. The Hispanic enrollment in the school system has grown from 245 in 2002 to 348 this year.

Bilingual assistant Maria Colina says she's usually assigned to bus routes that serve a lot of Hispanic students. She says that it's her job to keep kids safe, especially younger ones who aren't yet familiar with riding a school bus.