WCSD remains committed to prioritizing student safety throughout National School Bus Safety Week

During National School Bus Safety Week, the Washingtonville Central School District continues to promote security and awareness to ensure students travel to and from school safely each day. In 2024, Washingtonville was one of the first districts in Orange County to implement the school bus red-light-stop-arm camera enforcement. 

Since enforcing the program, the Village of Washingtonville has seen a 27.15% reduction in violations from the 2024-2025 school year to the 2025-2026 school year. 

“We are very pleased to hear about the 27.15% reduction in red-light violations over the past school year,” Superintendent Dr. Larry Washington said. “We greatly appreciate the continued partnership with Orange County and BusPatrol in keeping our students safe.” 

The school district has been working with the Orange County School Bus Safety Program and BusPatrol, a company that delivers the most advanced school bus safety program in North America, to ensure the well-being of all students acro ss the district. 

The school district’s bus safety program uses stop‑arm cameras to automatically detect and ticket drivers who illegally pass a stopped bus with red lights flashing, under New York State law. The cameras are mounted near each bus’s stop arm and include two small cameras housed in a yellow unit. The system only activates when the bus’s stop sign is extended, recording short video clips of vehicles that pass the bus illegally and capturing its license plate in high resolution. Since BusPatrol operates on a violator-funded model, the supply, installation, and ongoing maintenance of the technology are provided at no cost to local taxpayers or school districts. 

Motorists who fail to stop for a school bus with its stop-arm extended and red lights activated receive warning letters in the mail, without incurring any monetary penalty. The consequences for violating school bus safety laws are significant, with a first-time stop-arm violation carrying a fine of $250. Subsequent violations within 18 months will incur an additional $25 penalty, up to a maximum of $300.

Each recorded incident is reviewed by the sheriff’s office to confirm a violation before a citation is issued. Drivers who receive a ticket are provided with a secure link that allows them to view video footage of the incident, ensuring transparency in the enforcement process.

Illegal school bus passing is moving in the right direction, but the number of incidents remains too high. Nationwide, an estimated 38.4 million violations occurred during the 2025-2026 school year. That represents an approximately 15% decline nationally over two years, demonstrating that dangerous driving behavior can change while highlighting the need for continued education and awareness.

Keeping students safe requires everyone on the road to understand and reinforce safe behavior around school buses. Drivers should come to a complete stop whenever a school bus's red lights are flashing, and its stop arm is extended. They should remain stopped until the lights turn off, the stop arm retracts, and the bus begins moving. Staying alert and eliminating distractions is critical because children may be crossing the street even when they are not immediately visible.