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05/28/2019 04:15 PMThe end of the current public school year may be just a few weeks away, but that doesn’t mean drivers can just stop respecting the stop sign on school buses. After a few complaints of drivers passing school buses stopped to let students on and off, Madison officials are reminding residents to obey the stop sign because it is the law and for student safety.
When a school bus stops to let students on or off the bus, lights flash on the bus and a stop sign unfolds from the side of the vehicle. Drivers in both directions are supposed to stop until the stop sign is removed and the bus lights stop flashing.
However, recent posts from parents on social media include stories of drivers zipping around school buses while students are crossing the street. The comments sparked a response from Madison Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice.
“Keeping our children safe is our highest priority,” he said in a statement. “With that in mind, it has come to my attention that we have experienced a number of drivers passing school buses while our buses are either picking up, or dropping off, our children. This is occurring while the red flashing lights and safety arm stop sign is visible to drivers.
“I have met with the Madison Police Department (MPD) and our bus company, Durham School Services, to discuss this concern. I want to assure you that the MPD takes reports such as these very seriously and confirmed that they will follow up on any reports of this nature,” Scarice continued. “Additionally, we are fortunate to have a team of incredibly caring and vigilant bus drivers that will do all they can to keep our children safe. I ask that if you witness such a violation that you report this information to the Madison Police Department. This is a significant safety matter and we will need all in the wider school community to work together to keep our kids safe.”
Passing a school bus that is stopped to let students on and off is no small matter in the eyes of the law, according to Madison Police Captain Joe Race. He said the ticket for a school bus violation is $470—by comparison, the ticket for driving without a seatbelt is about $90.
“We do take those complaints from bus drivers and have done so in the past,” he said. “They will come in and give us a statement and we will definitely go find those people and give them a ticket. This is very serious—I mean, it is kids. Obviously by the price you can tell it is serious to the legislature, too.”
Race said Madison police try to keep an eye on school buses in town, but the officers can’t be everywhere at all times. He said anyone who witnesses a school bus violation is asked to contact the Police Department.
“So the same thing as anything else, if other people see this, they can report it to us,” he said. “Get that license plate number. That is the most important thing. That is the easiest way we can quickly track that individual down. The person can either call 911 or they can come in and file a complaint later.”
Race said a license plate number is the easiest way to track down a vehicle, but he also reminded residents not to do anything foolish if they couldn’t see the whole plate.
“If the plate number is open and obvious, then record that or just give us the information you can about the vehicle and then maybe someone else saw it, too,” he said. “Then combined maybe it is enough of a description…Again this is a cliché but it’s true: If you see something, say something. If anyone, whether you are in your driveway or on the road or at your mailbox or with you children, if you see something, please call us. We will gladly come and talk to you and try and track that down.”
If a resident witnesses a vehicle passing a school bus with red lights flashing, call 911 or 203-245-6500.