BATON ROUGE, La. — The News-Star reports that a new state law that prohibits school bus drivers from loading or unloading students at school or near their homes in a way that would cause them to have to cross traffic lanes will cause many rural school districts to have to extend their bus routes.

Rep. Rob Shadoin told the newspaper that the law, which was intended to address safety problems in metropolitan areas, such as New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is having an unintended impact on all school districts across the state. School districts are concerned that the law, which will take effect in August, will cause them to double travel times on many routes, increase their budgets and inconvenience parents.

Sen. Mike Walsworth told The News-Star the vote to pass the bill was unanimous in the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, he added that legislators would ask for an attorney general’s opinion that could change the restrictions until the Legislature comes back into session and could reconsider the bill.

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