When Arlington ISD employees get behind the wheel, safety isn’t just a policy – it’s the culture.
That culture was recognized last week on a big stage when the National Safety Council, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, honored Arlington ISD with the 2025 Our Driving Concern Texas Employer Traffic Safety Award at the 2025 Traffic Safety Conference in Austin.
“This award is more than just a recognition,” said DeAnn Crane of the National Safety Council, “it’s a reflection of your unwavering dedication to the safety and well-being of your employees, their families, and the communities you serve. Your leadership in promoting traffic safety both on and off the job truly makes a difference.”
A Safer Road for Everyone
The culture of safety in Arlington ISD is the result of several years of hard work, structural and procedural changes, new training, and lots of collaboration. Led by Curt Fernandez, the district’s director of risk management, and his team, the safety improvements came about with everyone – and every department, from transportation to facility services – working together.
The results speak for themselves. Arlington ISD has hundreds of vehicles on the road every day, including school buses, maintenance pickups, food service box trucks, security vehicles, SUVs transporting groups of students, and more. In just one year, collisions dropped from 105 in 2022–2023 to only 63 in 2023–2024.
“We want every employee to feel confident and safe when they’re on the road,” Fernandez said. “That means supervisors giving them the training, tools, and support they need to make the right choices. We’re very pleased with our improved safety record, but we want to continue to get even better by reducing the preventable collisions.”