
Student Honored for Heroic Actions During School Bus Crash
Olivia Boggs of Texas is honored for helping keep students calm and safe after their school bus driver experienced a medical emergency that caused the bus to crash.
![]() |
INDIANAPOLIS — The state attorney general recently released an opinion stating that the board that establishes school bus safety standards can allow the use of extended stop arms and that liability lies with motorists who pass them.
In the opinion, released on June 27 and obtained by The Times of Northwest Indiana, Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. writes that although state and federal regulations outline specifications for school bus stop arms, they do not place a limit on their length. (Hill defines the length of extended stop arms in the opinion as being “anywhere from 4.5 to 6.5 feet from the bus.”)
Hill also stated in the opinion that because Indiana law prohibits motorists from passing a school bus when its stop arm is extended, any motorist who passes a bus in this case would be liable for any property damage or personal injury that occurred as a result. (The opinion does not hold the same weight as law, but is generally respected by courts, according to the newspaper.)
Receiving the state attorney general's opinion is part of the rulemaking process for the Indiana State School Bus Committee, Adam Baker, press secretary for the Indiana Department of Education, told School Bus Fleet.
Baker added that several schools in the state are "interested in knowing more" about adding extended stop arms to their buses, and are waiting for the rulemaking process to conclude. That could take up to a year.
"During that time, we will explore and discuss all avenues from implementation through use," Baker said.
To read the full opinion, go here.
Olivia Boggs of Texas is honored for helping keep students calm and safe after their school bus driver experienced a medical emergency that caused the bus to crash.
The association invites U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) on its podcast, “The Bus Stop,” to discuss her journey to Capitol Hill and outline the Stop for School Buses Act of 2019.
The safety solutions supplier demonstrates its Predictive Stop Arm in Laurel, Miss., on the 10-year anniversary of a crash that killed a 5-year-old boy.
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) City Schools teamed up with Murfreesboro Police Department to launch a campaign creating awareness of the state’s school bus stop-arm laws and encouraging motorists to practice safe driving behaviors.
The proposed package of legislation aims to restrict who can board and stiffen penalties on those who do so unlawfully, crack down on motorists who illegally pass buses, and allow stop-arm cameras.
The company’s Dashcam provides downloadable videos, real-time alerts, and live GPS location services before, during, and after a vehicle incident.
The child is able to safely evacuate the bus before it is engulfed in flames. The fire was apparently caused by a faulty wire near the bus’s engine, a district official said.
Jonathan Gates of Oregon was found not to be under the influence of controlled substances after he was arrested for allegedly driving while impaired in the November crash.
In a parody of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” the transportation team at West Des Moines (Iowa) Community Schools outlines several school bus safety rules while donning their best 70s attire.
The National Association for Pupil Transportation’s concerns address bus driver responsibility and how that might exacerbate driver shortage, and the extra time the systems would add to bus trips.
H4696 would considerably raise penalties for illegally passing school buses and allow the state to overrule decisions made on the locations of some school bus stops.
Foothills Elementary School students demonstrate proper boarding and riding procedures for staying safe on the school bus while on a field trip.
LiveSafe's report includes best practices of early warning threat detection and reporting for K-12 school safety and security programs.
JVCKenwood’s NX-1200 and NX-1300 portable radios operate in two digital protocols — NXDN and DMR — and analog, enabling multi-protocol operation and the capability to transition to digital with mixed-mode operation.
Sherry James of Tennessee, who resigned in October after video showed her using her phone while driving her bus, is arrested for allegedly stealing her old bus and trying to drive her former route, police said.
Get the latest news and most popular articles from SBF delivered straight to your inbox. Stay on top of the school bus industry and don't miss a thing!
Denise
| about 5 months agoYes!!!!!!!!! Indiana and all states need to have this installed ASAP. I am going into my 12th year of driving. I’ve had many run my stop arm, as well as our other Drivers in our Corporation. Just trying to get their Drivers License when they do so, is not working! We are too focused on our students and their safety while a driver is passing our stop arms to look for their plates! The cameras that are being installed, this money should be used for the installation of extended arms, we already have cameras in our buses showing different angles! This needs to be a law! All buses should be required to have these Arms added onto their buses.