MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office are partnering with BusPatrol to create a safer commute on school buses.
The sheriff’s office will issue a summons to drivers who illegally pass a school bus.
BusPatrol has installed cameras and AI software on MCPS buses that record any time the school bus lights are flashing and the stop sign is displayed. Cars that illegally pass the school bus will receive a valid summons from MCSO, with a fine or an option to request a court date. To ensure accuracy of all violations, summonses are processed by BusPatrol, and then validated by the sheriff’s office before they are mailed to violators.
“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority as a school district,” MCPS Superintendent Dr. Bernard F. Bragen, Jr. said. “We want to ensure that our students are safe on their way to and from school every day.”
“We want every child to feel safe when they board or exit a bus,” Sheriff Hank Partin said. “Passing a stopped school bus has been a law for years, unfortunately, many drivers fail to stop, putting kids at risk of serious injury or death.”
MCPS and the MCSO anticipate launching this new technology in February 2025, and summonses for violations will be issued immediately.
Virginia Code 46.2-859 states: A person driving a motor vehicle shall stop such vehicle when approaching, from any direction, any school bus which is stopped on any highway, private road or school driveway for the purpose of taking on or discharging children, elderly individuals, or individuals with mental or physical disabilities, and shall remain stopped until all the individuals are clear of the highway, private road or school driveway and the bus is put in motion; any
individual violating the foregoing is guilty of reckless driving. The driver of a vehicle, however, need not stop when approaching a school bus if the school bus is stopped on the other roadway of a divided highway, on an access road, or on a driveway when the other roadway, access road, or driveway is separated from the roadway on which he is driving by a physical barrier or an unpaved area.
Montgomery County Public Schools