The Mentor Schools buses are now equipped with exterior cameras

By Patricia Nugent

The next time you are running late and feel the temptation to sneak around a bus with the stop sign arm out and red lights flashing—you may want to think again.

Thanks to a safety grant from the Ohio Attorney General, all of Mentor School’s buses are currently being outfitted with exterior cameras that will capture the license plates of drivers who illegally pass them and forward the plates directly to the Mentor Police Department.

“Our bus drivers were reporting to us on a daily basis that cars were blatantly ignoring the red lights and illegally passing them, which puts our students in danger,” says Kristen Kirby, director of community relations for the school system.

This is the first time the school district has received this type of grant, which totaled $43,448, and she says that since installing the exterior cameras cost about $38,000, it was a perfect fit. With the leftover funds, she says the district was able to install a software upgrade the MARCS Radios system in each school to alert people of imminent danger.

Last year in Mentor, the fleet of 52 buses drove 6,000 students to and from school each day, logging in a staggering 4,600 miles during their daily routes.

“We see the cameras as a preventive action to protect our kids,” she says. “Honestly, we do not want people getting tickets—we want them to stop for buses. Our first responsibility is toward the safety of our students and this new initiative will impact that.”

For the record, the law states that all drivers must remain stopped for buses when the stop sign arm is extended and red lights are flashing on two- and three-lane roads. On four-lane roads, all drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop.

Drivers can face up to a $500 fine for illegally passing a bus and the court also has the discretion to suspend the violator’s license for up to a year if there are other circumstances involved.

Look for these monthly stories to cover topics at every level of the schools throughout the school year. The Mentor School system educates 7,660 students from pre-K to 12th grade in seven elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and one school for students with autism. For updates, visit MentorSchools.net.