Wichita School Bus Driver Michael King Spotted a Nonverbal 2-Year-Old Running Into a Busy Street. His Co-Workers Say He Steps Up Every Day.

“Mike does, and he’ll step up everyday.” That is how Kelly Cattlet describes her co-worker Michael King, a First Student school bus driver in Wichita, Kansas, in a Veterans Day-week profile from KSN’s “Positive Connections” segment, republished by Yahoo on Nov. 4. Other co-workers have a similar view of the job he does.

King has driven for First Student for three years. On one route he spotted a nonverbal 2-year-old running into the street with cars nearby, and he stepped in. Without his help, he said, it is hard to know what would have happened.

The Toddler Who Ran Toward the Street

The profile gives few details about the toddler, including who the child is or where exactly it happened. What it does say is that the child could not speak, which meant the child could not call out or explain where they were going, and that King recognized the danger and acted.

Cattlet said King told her that anyone would have done the same. She sees it differently: for her, stepping up is simply who he is, and he does it every day.

A few months later, King saw a child climb into a car, pull the trunk down and become trapped inside. He responded again. The KSN profile does not describe how that one ended.

“Driving Them to Their Future”

King says he sees the job as more than getting children from home to school safely. “Kind of driving them to their future” is how he puts it, and he wants to make sure they get there.

He is also on First Student’s Employee Engagement Committee, which brings employees together and recognizes their work. His military background shaped his approach, he said. He credits it with his attention to detail, which helps him notice what is happening around him and “see the bigger picture.”

A Veterans Day Tribute at the Bus Yard

Drawing on that service, King helped organize a Veterans Day tribute at his workplace. The effort included installing a flagpole and raising a flag.

The timing fits the date. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Nov. 11 marks the armistice that took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, ending fighting in the First World War. A 1938 law made it a legal holiday called Armistice Day, and Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954 so the day would honor American veterans of all wars.

What Drivers Like King Are Watching For

School bus drivers keep an eye on more than the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says children are at greatest risk when they are approaching or leaving a bus, because they often wait several feet away and may cross the street while boarding or exiting. NHTSA tells drivers to watch the area around the bus, not just the bus itself, and calls the school bus “one of the safest vehicles on the road.”

First Student’s work in Wichita goes beyond driving. In a March 2026 release, the company said its local team meets with Wichita Public Schools leaders every two weeks and uses a behavioral support program called First Serves to help drivers give a calmer, safer ride to students who need extra support. One example was giving a student who often throws objects lightweight, soft items such as silk scarves as a safer outlet.

Why Toddlers and Streets Don’t Mix

A child running toward traffic is a scenario pediatricians plan for. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org says parents should hold a child’s hand when crossing at a crosswalk, and that most children are not ready to cross streets alone until about age 10 or later. It also says small children should not play on driveways or in yards next to driveways, because drivers may not see them, especially when backing up.

For one Wichita toddler, a bus driver’s attention made the difference on an ordinary route. As Cattlet put it, that is what King does.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Ktkvtsh – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons