BEEBE, Ark. —After a long, hot school day, there's nothing quite like a cold bottle of water — and that’s exactly what the Beebe School District is providing to approximately 2,000 students each afternoon, thanks to a new hydration initiative supported by community donations.

Next to every one of the district’s 34 school buses are coolers filled with cold eight-ounce water bottles, ready for students as they board for their ride home. On especially hot days, when temperatures inside the buses can soar into the triple digits, Beebe Public Schools Superintendent Zebulon Prothro said the gesture is about more than comfort.

“I think it makes it a more enjoyable ride for the student, and it’s going to make it safer for the kids as well,” Prothro said. “There’s a mental aspect too — when it’s

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