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State leaders stress school bus safety Thursday, Aug 18, 2005 By Aaron Sadler Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK ? With the return of school buses to Arkansas roads this week comes a handful of tougher laws geared toward making bus rides safer for the state?s students. The General Assembly earlier this year adopted legislation requiring bus drivers to report any vehicle passing a bus illegally. Another law mandates state-employed inspectors to evaluate buses and maintenance records in every district at least annually. Several state officials spoke Wednesday about the new laws and the need for awareness, in general, about school bus traffic. Most Arkansas public schools reopen Friday, when about 5,000 buses will be on state roadways, said Education Commissioner Ken James at a news conference at a Little Rock elementary school. James and State Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, said motorists should always use caution when near a school bus. ?We want to make sure the positive news that surrounds the beginning of a school year does not get turned into a negative,? James said. The Department of Education estimated 72 percent of the state?s 450,000 public school students rode school buses last year. Buses travel 243,000 miles per day in the state. Broadway said bus safety became a personal issue for him last September, when a 9-year-old boy in his district was hit by a car and killed after stepping off a school bus. Broadway sponsored ?Isaac?s Law? in memory of William ?Isaac? Brian of Benton. The law toughens penalties for passing a stopped school bus and adds a provision about bus-related deaths to the state negligent homicide statute. ?We should never lose a child to carelessness around school buses,? Broadway said. Isaac?s Law increases the minimum fine for someone convicted of passing a stopped bus from $35 to $250 and results in an automatic driver?s license suspension. It gives judges an option of sentencing someone to up to 400 hours of community service or sentencing them to 90 days in jail. Coupled with that tougher law is a requirement for bus drivers to prepare a written report if observing someone illegally pass a school bus. The bus driver must turn in the report to a school superintendent, who turns over the report to the prosecuting attorney. Broadway said anyone else who notices a violation of school bus laws is encouraged to contact the local prosecuting attorney?s office as well. The new state Division of Academic Facilities and Transportation will hire five inspectors to review bus safety and maintenance records throughout the state, said state Transportation Director Mike Simmons. Previously, school districts performed their own inspections. State-employed trainers will conduct three hours yearly of mandatory training for drivers, Simmons added. Until this year, Arkansas hired private contractors for the training. Simmons said school districts? fleet of buses is in decent condition. If major flaws are cited by inspectors, problem buses would be forced off routes. ?While we are at the business of providing the best education possible during the school day, we know that a safe commute to school and back home again is a must,? James said. ?These laws will go a long way to ensure that students? bus rides are even more safe.? Another law makes it a crime for an adult to step on a bus without permission of the bus driver and requires schools to put signs on buses prohibiting unauthorized entry. |
