Radnor Schools Teaming Up With Police On School Bus Safety

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — The Radnor Township School District and Radnor Township Police Department are teaming up for a public awareness campaign that will raise public awareness of the dangers of illegally passing a stopped school bus when children are boarding or exiting.

On Wed., Oct. 23, the district and police are participating in the 23r annual Operation Safe Stop.

The program is part of National School Bus Safety Week, which runs from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25.

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Led by the district’s Director of Transportation John Hearn, school bus drivers will be on the lookout for vehicles illegally passing their buses.

When possible, the drivers will relay a violator’s information to the police so a citation can be issued.

Hearn will also send the gathered information to Harrisburg so it can be included in a school bus safety report.

The coordinated effort typically leads to two or three violations, a significant amount when extrapolated throughout the 181-day school year.

Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law requires motorists to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended.

Motorists must stop when they are behind the bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped. Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety. If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.

Related to raising awareness of safety around schools, Oct. 21 Oct. 27 is also America's Safe Schools Week. Sponsored by the National School Safety Center, the campaign seeks to motivate key education and law enforcement policymakers, as well as students, parents and community residents, to vigorously advocate school safety. School safety includes keeping campuses free of crime and violence, improving discipline, and increasing student attendance.