Radloff Middle School Bus Manager Honored For Saving Students from Bus Fire

Jose Rivera-Perez was already responding to an accident when the real emergency found him.

He’s a special education bus manager for Radloff Middle School — the kind of job where you’re trained for the worst and hope it never comes. That afternoon, he was headed to a Code Five, district shorthand for an accident, when he saw something worse. A bus was on fire.

He came upon it directly: Zebiba Juber’s bus, flames visible, students still inside.

“So I just parked real quick and jumped into action,” Perez says.

No hesitation. No waiting for backup. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and helped evacuate the students alongside Juber, another special education bus manager. Then he put the fire out.

For that, Perez was named the 2025 Hidden Hero by the Rotary Club of Gwinnett County — a title that came with a plaque, a $750 check, and a reception at Radloff Middle surrounded by colleagues, families, and friends who wanted to say what most people already knew: he did what heroes do.

Trained for the Moment That Matters

Perez credits the Gwinnett County Public Schools Transportation Department for preparing him. Every year, drivers go through emergency response training. Documentation. Drills. Scenarios most will never face.

“Every year we have good training, and we go through a lot of documentation,” Perez says. The system worked. When the fire came, he knew exactly what to do.

Bus Monitor Rashauna McGowan was among those honoring Perez at the reception. She says his response was textbook — except most people don’t follow the textbook when flames are involved.

“A lot of people can be afraid of fires, but Jose went in, struck it fast, and got the job done,” McGowan says.

Transportation Support Manager Carla Hart echoed that pride. “Both of our drivers acted just as they were trained, which is an amazing sight,” she says.

The People Who Show Up

Louise Radloff, a former member of the Gwinnett Board of Education, attended the ceremony and spoke about the often-overlooked work of bus drivers, monitors, and managers. They’re the first face students see in the morning and the last voice they hear before home. They drive through weather, traffic, and the unpredictable rhythms of children’s lives. And when something goes wrong, they’re the ones who have to be ready.

Joe Sorenson, president of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett, presented Perez with the award. The Hidden Hero distinction recognizes people who don’t seek attention but earn it anyway — the ones who act when action is required.

Perez says his instinct took over that day. He saw the fire. He saw the students. He moved.

That’s the job. That’s the training. And sometimes, that’s heroism.