RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - It's School Bus Drive Appreciation Week in North Carolina, with districts across the state planning special gifts and recognition for the men and women who ferry children to and from school.

More than 1.5 million kids ride a North Carolina school bus each day, on more than 1,300 buses, according to the Department of Public Instruction.

Gov. Pat McCrory has proclaimed Feb. 8-12 as "School Bus Driver Appreciation Week" in North Carolina.

Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson will ride the bus in Winston-Salem on Wednesday, and then attend a party for bus drivers in Wake County on Thursday.