Photo Courtesy of Canva

Students have been delivered to and from school on motorized buses since 1915.  These buses are a safe and effective means of transportation.  School bus drivers go through difficult training and testing to get their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).  They also must keep up to date on periodic training and testing in other areas.  Keeping the students safe is always a primary concern.
 
However, there is an area of safety that is out of the hands of the school bus driver and becomes the responsibility of other motorists.  This is when the school bus is loading or unloading students.  The driver will activate the flashing amber lights as a warning prior to coming to a stop.  When the bus stops and the door opens, the flashing lights change to red, and a stop sign swings out on the side.  All motorists, either following the bus or approaching the bus from the front, must stop.  They are not to pass the bus on either side.  When the red flashing lights quit and the stop sign swings back to the side of the bus, traffic may continue as normal.

These laws, which are observed by every state, were designed to keep our students safe. However, many times the law isn’t being followed. Just how often?

Each year, the Kansas State Department of Education conducts a One Day Stop Arm Violation Count.  In 2024, there were 682 reported across the state.  Closer to home, USD 379 bus drivers have reported at least 8 violations in the past two weeks, just occurring with our in-town bus.
 
A survey conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) estimated more than 43.5 million illegal school bus passings in the United States in the 2022-2023 school year.  Could that have been 43.5 million deaths or injuries to our students?
 
Please be careful while operating a motor vehicle around our school buses.  Deaths and injuries to our students are unacceptable.  Our children are a precious commodity.