School board approves bus stops, debates eight-way bus stop lights

The Hot Springs County School Board unanimously approved the list of bus stops for the 2022-23 school year, which were largely unchanged from the previous year, but not without a debate on the relative safety afforded by the mandatory enforcement of the eight-way light system.

Board Clerk Joe Martinez broached the subject when he noted a recommendation that the district discontinue the practice and use of the eight-way light system any time buses are receiving or discharging students.

Martinez recalled an incident when parked buses had their lights running, and a passing parent was enough to prompt a police call.

"I think there are still situations where it wouldn't be necessary to utilize that eight-way stop system," Martinez said. "You can't always spell it out, (but) there's going to be situations where it's not necessary."

Martinez expressed concerns about whether discontinuing the stop system practice might not allow for it to be exercised as a discretionary measure.

District Business Manager Chauncy Johnson spoke on behalf of the new transportation director, who was unable to attend that evening's board meeting.

"I believe his thinking is that it's industry best practice for our drivers to be aware of any time that students are entering or exiting the bus, as well as the community," Johnson said. "And as a practice, any time you have students disembarking or entering a bus, no matter the situation, you would have your eight-ways on."

"If you're in a parking lot, all it does is increase safety," Board Trustee Rick Engelbrecht said. "Why not? Any time that kid gets on or off the bus, in my opinion, those lights should be going."

"We typically try to go with best practice, in curriculum or anything else, so it makes sense to do that across the board with transportation, whatever the case," Board Chair Sherman Skelton said.

Martinez cautioned that, as far as he's aware, "Once officers are called, there is no further discretion with the officer. They have to write that ticket, no matter what."

Martinez warned against "going too far" in disallowing such discretion, especially with buses in parking lots, "where it can be an issue, depending on where that bus is parked and disembarking." Superintendent Dustin Hunt raised the question of whether other parking lots qualify as bus loading zones, to which Martinez responded by asking how such policies apply when Hot Springs County school buses go to other districts, because "you don't know what their particular bus loading zones are or not."

Martinez added, "There's too many variables across districts, in that type of situation."

"The parking lot at the middle school is not a bus loading and unloading zone, but they do load and unload in that parking lot," Board Trustee Jennifer Axtell said. "I have seen the kids coming off, and parents go by, and kids almost get hit. The lights should be on then, so those parents know they're loading and unloading."

Axtell and Board Treasurer Nichole Weyer cited concerned letters about evening sporting events, when as Axtell said, "No one's there, and you're waiting in the dark for your kids to show up. Those lights should be on."

Weyer agreed, "I think they should just be on any time the bus is stopped, and kids are getting on or off."

"It's just additional safety," Axtell said. "I don't care whether the lights are on or off. You shouldn't pass a bus. There could be a kid coming in front. Be patient. Wait for the bus to move."

"I'll go on public record and say, if it's a safety thing, I want a citation written every time," Skelton said. "If it's a safety violation that puts kids at risk, there's no discretion on our end, is there? Have we ever asked for a citation not to be written?"

Skelton even recalled an activities bus pulling over in front of him to unload students.

"There were no lights on, and I almost hit a couple kids," Skelton said "That was a very scary incident, and I would never want that to happen to anybody."