State College Area School District has seen a sharp increase over the past two years of incidents involving vehicles driving past school buses while students are boarding or disembarking. Next week the district is partnering with local police departments for en effort to put a stop to that trend.
On Wednesday, officers from the Ferguson Township, Patton Township and State College police departments will monitor bus stops across the district for ‘Operation Safe Stop,’ looking for drivers who violate Pennsylvania law by meeting or overtaking a school bus. Oct. 22-26 is National School Bus Safety Week.
The state’s school bus violation law requires drivers to stop at least 10 feet when the red signal lights on the bus are flashing and the stop signal arm is activated. Drivers are not allowed to proceed until the flashing red lights are off and children have reached safety. Yellow lights, flashed as the bus approaches a stop, indicate cars should slow down and prepare to stop.
‘Unfortunately, many drivers break the law out of impatience or inattention, endangering children,’ a SCASD news release said.
In 2017-18, the school district recorded 77 violations involving district-owned buses and so far this year 27 violations have been recorded on cameras installed on all district buses. Those numbers do not include contracted buses that also transport students.
Local police reported that school bus law violations have doubled since 2015-16.
“Even one school bus violation is too many when our children’s lives are at risk, but when you consider that the school year is 180 days, the number of reported violations is astounding,” Ferguson Township police department said in a statement.
Penalties for meeting or overtaking a school bus include a $250 fine, 60-day driver’s license suspension and five points on a license.
“The biggest concern is that a student could get hurt or killed,” said SCASD driver Linda Waite, a school bus driver for 21 years. ‘The bus drivers I work with, we really love these kids. We want them to be safe.’
This school bus safety video, produced by State College Area School District, includes surveillance video footage of violations.
