Teacher Cody Cook directs students as they get off the bus for the first day back to school at Starmount High.
The 2021-2022 school year is now underway. Please implement the following to ensure the safety of the children, who are our number one priority:
-Be mindful of students waiting at bus stops across the county.
-Drive safely and use caution when approaching a school bus. If the flashing amber lights are on, begin slowing down.
-When the red lights are flashing and the stop arm is out, traffic in both directions must stop. Stop far enough back to allow students to cross the road. Do not start moving forward until after the red lights are off, the stop arm is in, and the bus has begun to move forward. If the roadway is divided by a median, only the traffic behind the bus is required to stop. A turn lane is not a median.
-Never pass a stopped school bus. Passing a stopped school bus endangers student lives, not to mention carries a hefty penalty if caught. During a six-month period in 2018-2019, 12 children were killed and another 47 injured while loading and unloading school buses across the U.S.
-Know that student safety is our priority. Forty-six of the buses operated in Yadkin County are now equipped with stop arm cameras. Yadkin County Schools is working closely with the North Carolina Highway Patrol and local law enforcement to increase student safety by reducing the number of stop arm violations in our county.
Daniel Hardison is the Director of Transportation for the Yadkin County School District.