School Bus Stop-Arm Safety Program Identifies Violators of Illegal Passings

It’s Illegal to Pass a Stopped School Bus

Keep Kids Safe: It’s the Law in New York State!

Did you know that when you see a stopped school bus with flashing lights and the “Stop-Arm” deployed you must stop your car and wait while the bus loads or discharges children?

Waiting is not only a courtesy; it is the law. It has always been illegal to pass a stopped school bus and there have always been penalties associated with this violation.

To enforce this law and to prevent dangerous violations that affect the safety of our students, Sayville Schools—as with school districts across Long Island—has opted into the recent School Bus Stop-Arm Safety Program, which took effect as a probationary measure in March 2021. “The School Bus Stop-Arm Safety Program outfits Suffolk County’s school bus fleets with the latest stop-arm safety technology including stop-arm cameras, DVR and storage devices, internal cameras, GPS, telemetry and LTE connectivity.”

Beginning in May, the School Bus Stop-Arm Safety Program becomes fully active and cars, identified by their license plates, will receive not just warnings but tickets by mail for illegal passing.

Sayville Assistant Superintendent for Business, Rhonda L. Meserole, CPA, encourages parents and community members to become informed about this school-bus safety program that protects our students as they are being transported or walking to and from school. To learn more about this important safety program, visit the Suffolk County School Bus Safety Program website at https://suffolkcountyny.gov/schoolbus