Howard County cracks down on school bus stop arm violations

KOKOMO — School is back in session for many districts in Howard County.

In order to keep kids safe, there will be increased law enforcement presence out on the roads in the coming weeks.

Rob Betts spends his mornings behind the wheel of his big yellow bus.

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“I like working around the kids. I do lots of sports trips I love doing to the sporting events," the Northwestern bus driver said.

Betts has a decade of experience under his belt and greets his kids with a warm smile and friendly “hello" every morning.

“Get their day started right. Get em in the right frame of mind to go into the schools day," Betts said.

Before they get to class, it’s his responsibility to get students to their destination safely.

“On Highway 22 a lot of people go through the stop arms. And I have more stops. I have a lot of stops there, I’m not the only one," Betts said.

It is against the law to ignore a school bus stop arm.

There is one exception — on highways divided by a physical barrier, such as a concrete wall or grassy median.

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“The bus activates its yellow lights and then the red lights and stop arm comes out. All motorists are required to stop for the safety of our kids," Sgt. Justin Markley with the Howard County Sheriff's Office said.

According to data from the Indiana Department of Education, during a 180-day school year, there will potentially 283,320 stop arm violations.

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“People need to have a little more patience and understand there’s a lot of kids getting on or off school buses," Sgt. Markley said. “The officers are doing extra hours, extra patrol hours which is funded by a grant that we receive through the state and federal money we receive and it’s specifically for stop arm violators."

Right now, the sheriff’s office is working to curb violations.

You can expect to see more patrols out on the roads.