HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla — As the second week of school wraps up, Hillsborough County Public Schools superintendent Van Ayres has some alarming news.
“What I'm about to tell you is really shocking,” said Ayres.
In a post on the school district’s Facebook page, Ayres said that in the first four days of the school year, 2,391 warnings were issued for school bus stop arm violations.
“That’s how many times drivers have gone around a stopped school bus and put students' lives in danger in just four days,” Ayres said.
This district just launched its new school bus safety program to keep students safe as they get on and off school buses. Every bus is now equipped with cameras that capture the license plates of vehicles that illegally pass the bus when it’s stopped.
Parents said the number of drivers that have already been caught violating the law is just unacceptable.
“I think that’s terrible. That’s bad; that’s not safe. You have to respect that there are kids getting off the school bus. They're trying to get home. You don't want to hit them, obviously,” said Stephanie Hunter.
As a mother of four young children, Hunter is glad to know stop-arm cameras exist and believe they should have been installed sooner.
“There are a lot of little kids around here. I have four kids, all under seven. It's very important that these kids get home safely to their parents,” Hunter said.
The warning period started on the first day of school. Beginning September 12, drivers who go around the school bus will receive a ticket.
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