Nassau County To Launch School Bus Safety Program

MINEOLA, NY—Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced Tuesday the county will be rolling out a program which will enable school districts to install new bus cameras to identify drivers who illegally pass a bus stopped to drop off and pick up children.

The "Request for Expressions of Interest" (RFEI) will allow the county and school districts to learn what vendors provide this service and the best way to implement the program.

“My main priority is to ensure the health and safety of our residents, especially young people. The School Bus Safety program will give Nassau’s school districts the option to install new bus cameras which will help us stop the dangerous practice of recklessly passing a school bus when the stop sign is extended,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.

School District Participation Process

In October 2019, County Executive Curran signed legislation that will allow the County and school districts to enter into intermunicipal agreements for the installation of school bus cameras to record drivers who unlawfully pass stopped school buses. The cameras will be installed on the stop arm of participating district’s school buses and will monitor vehicles that pass a bus fail to stop for a school bus displaying a red visual signal and stop-arm. The County will bear the cost of equipment and recoup those expenses through fines paid by violators.

In order to achieve a successful result from the program, County Executive Curran said she is working closely with schools and inviting superintendents to fill out a survey to identify their needs and wants for the program. Following those results there will be an informational seminar, using information from the RFEI, with school officials outlining the details and implementation of the program.

Once the school district’s input has been gathered, the County intends to solicit proposals from school bus photo monitoring system operators through an RFP process and award a contract for the installation, maintenance, operation and use of school bus camera systems as well as for the proper handling and custody of such recorded images, and for the forwarding of such images and data to the County. The Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency will issue and process the infraction notices, as well as administer collection of fines and penalties.

Public Awareness Campaign

The county is launching a public awareness campaign, so residents are not caught off guard by the new program, officials said. The multimedia public awareness campaign will include public service announcements across various social media platforms. For the purpose of informing and educating the owners of motor vehicles about the program, during the first 30-day period of implementation, the County will issue a written warning instead of a notice of liability to owners of motor vehicles who would otherwise be issued a notice of liability for illegally passing a school bus.

While the program is not expected to be fully implemented until 2021, the County will be providing updated information to the public about the process and implementation at this website.