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School Bus Safety

Police & Fire
Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley
Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley Drivers in one Hudson Valley county caught illegally passing school buses will soon start receiving steep fines. Beginning on Sunday, April 28, drivers who pass a stopped school bus with flashing red lights in Putnam County will receive a violation notice in the mail, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday, April 24. These notices will contain a $250 fine for the first offense, which will increase for further violations. The announcement follows the beginning of the county's bus patrol program on Monday, April 1, which has been in a warning period. Since the start of the…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
‘Hero’ Bus Driver Who Saved Student From Speeding Van In Region Gets Special Honors ‘Hero’ Bus Driver Who Saved Student From Speeding Van In Region Gets Special Honors
‘Hero’ Bus Driver Who Saved Student From Speeding Van In Region Gets Special Honors A quick-thinking school bus driver who saved a 12-year-old student from a near tragedy received special honors for his heroic actions. Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin presented Barry Sullivan with a county commendation and a county challenge coin on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Sheriff’s officials said Sullivan was transporting students from the Brunswick-Brittonkill Central School District home on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 30, when his bus was nearly struck by a speeding van on Route 7 in Pittstown. Earlier report: 'Not All Heroes Wear A Cape': Bus Driver Saves Student From Near …

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
'Not All Heroes Wear A Cape': Bus Driver Saves Student From Near Tragedy In Region 'Not All Heroes Wear A Cape': Bus Driver Saves Student From Near Tragedy In Region
'Not All Heroes Wear A Cape': Bus Driver Saves Student From Near Tragedy In Region A 12-year-old girl has her quick-thinking school bus driver to thank for preventing a near tragedy on an area roadway. The Rensselaer County incident happened at around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 on Route 7 in Pittstown. Sheriff’s officials said a school bus carrying students from the Brunswick-Brittonkill Central School District was stopped on the right shoulder with its red lights and stop sign activated when a white cargo van nearly crashed into it. The van then lost control, striking an eastbound box truck before going off the roadway. Moments before the crash, a 12-year-old girl was…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
‘So Grateful’: Student Injured In Deadly I-84 Bus Crash Reunites With Surgeons, Medics ‘So Grateful’: Student Injured In Deadly I-84 Bus Crash Reunites With Surgeons, Medics
‘So Grateful’: Student Injured In Deadly I-84 Bus Crash Reunites With Surgeons, Medics Audrina Crocitto doesn’t remember much about the charter bus crash that killed her band director and a retired teacher, and injured dozens of her fellow marching band students. The 15-year-old Farmingdale High School student on Long Island only remembers the initial impact of the bus careening off of I-84 in Orange County, in the town of Wawayanda, before it rolled several times down an embankment Thursday, Sept. 21. Following the crash, Crocitto was airlifted to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where X-rays and MRIs revealed that titanium screws and rods would be needed to hold her spine …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Double-Fatal Update: 5 Students In Critical Condition After Bus Crashes Down Embankment On I-84 Double-Fatal Update: 5 Students In Critical Condition After Bus Crashes Down Embankment On I-84
Double-Fatal Update: 5 Students In Critical Condition After Bus Crashes Down Embankment On I-84 As school bells rang and a new day started for students at a Long Island high school where five of their fellow classmates remain in critical condition following a horrific bus crash that killed two adults, state, and federal officials are investigating the incident. The Orange County crash happened at around 1:10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, on I-84 in the town of Wawayanda, near Exit 15A. The charter bus carrying marching band members from Farmingdale High School in Nassau County was heading to Greeley, Pennsylvania for band camp when one of the six buses carrying students went through the wi…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
School Bus Cameras To Be Installed By More Hudson Valley Districts: Funded By Illegal Passers School Bus Cameras To Be Installed By More Hudson Valley Districts: Funded By Illegal Passers
School Bus Cameras To Be Installed By More Hudson Valley Districts: Funded By Illegal Passers In an effort to catch drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses, Putnam County has entered into an agreement with a company to add cameras on stop sign arms to catch violators.  The county's new partnership with BusPatrol America to add cameras on school bus stop-arms was announced by County Executive Kevin Byrne on Thursday, July 20.  The agreement will now enable the six school districts within the county to deploy the cameras on their school bus fleets. The devices will be able to detect the license plates of vehicles that fail to stop for school buses, county officials s…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Hudson Valley, Police Say Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Hudson Valley, Police Say
Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Hudson Valley, Police Say A man with a suspended license faces charges after allegedly passing a school bus while it was displaying its stop sign in Northern Westchester, police said.  The incident happened on Tuesday, April 18 around 2:30 p.m., when police in Yorktown noticed a vehicle pass a school bus that was displaying a stop sign and flashing red lights on Route 202, according to Yorktown Police.  Officers then pulled the vehicle over and discovered that the driver, 25-year-old New York City resident Jerlin Veras, had a suspended license and was driving an unregistered motor vehicle, police said.&nbs…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
School Bus Driver Charged: Accused Of Slamming On Brakes, Injuring Kids In Hudson Valley School Bus Driver Charged: Accused Of Slamming On Brakes, Injuring Kids In Hudson Valley
School Bus Driver Charged: Accused Of Slamming On Brakes, Injuring Kids In Hudson Valley A Hudson Valley school bus driver has been charged with allegedly endangering the welfare of children after he intentionally slammed the brakes sending students flying. The incident took place in Ulster County around 8 a.m. Thursday, April 13, in the town of Ulster. According to Ulster Town Police Chief Kyle Beradi, the Ulster Police School Resource Officer assigned to Miller Middle School was notified by administrators regarding an incident involving a bus driver and the students on the bus.  An investigation revealed that Christopher Bauer, age 64, of Kerhonkson, who …

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At District In Hudson Valley Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At District In Hudson Valley
Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At District In Hudson Valley A pilot program employed by a Northern Westchester school district has found that nearly 400 drivers illegally passed stopped school buses over the span of two months.  The program, used by the Hendrick Hudson School District which serves over 2,000 students in Buchanan, Verplanck, Crugers, Montrose, Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, and Peekskill, came from a partnership with technology provider BusPatrol, officials from the company announced on Tuesday, Nov. 1.  Through cameras installed on 49 school bus stop arms, the company captured a total of 367 il…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Police In Hudson Valley Town Monitoring School Bus Stops After Attempted Luring Incident Police In Hudson Valley Town Monitoring School Bus Stops After Attempted Luring Incident
Police In Hudson Valley Town Monitoring School Bus Stops After Attempted Luring Incident Police officers in a Hudson Valley town have increased police patrols at bus stops after an alleged attempted luring incident. The incident took place in Rockland County between 7:15 a.m. and 7:40 a.m., on Thursday, Sept. 22 in Ramapo in the area of North Airmont Road and Spook Rock Road. According to the Ramapo Police, a man with a beard, wearing yellow clothing, and driving a gray 4-door sedan approached an 11-year-old student waiting for her school bus.  It is alleged that the driver told the child that he knew her mother and that she asked him to drive her to school. The child ran…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
COVID-19: NY Announces New School Guidelines For Masks, Social Distancing COVID-19: NY Announces New School Guidelines For Masks, Social Distancing
Covid-19: NY Announces New School Guidelines For Masks, Social Distancing With schools ready to begin reopening, the New York State Department of Health has just laid out its guidance for mask-wearing and social distancing for students and staff. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Public Health and Health Planning Council passed an emergency regulation and a determination was issued requiring all teachers, administrators, and other school employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing unless they show proof of vaccination. The emergency regulation authorizes the state Health Commissioner to require weekly testing or proof of vaccine…

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by Zak Failla
News
School Bus Driver In Area Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board School Bus Driver In Area Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board
School Bus Driver In Area Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board A school bus driver in Northern Westchester admitted to driving drunk with dozens of children on board. Somers resident William Mendez, 62, who was working for Royal Coach Lines, which was employed by the Somers Central School District, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 22 to driving while intoxicated with young children on his bus last December. Specifically, Mendez pleaded guilty to Leandra’s Law, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. said, a felony that is related to driving while intoxicated with a child passenger. A parent notified school officials in Somers that M…

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by Zak Failla
News
Two Students Injured After School Bus Is Rear-Ended In Area Two Students Injured After School Bus Is Rear-Ended In Area
Two Students Injured After School Bus Is Rear-Ended In Area Two students were injured after the school bus they were riding in was rear-ended. The crash took place in Somers around 8 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 7, when a Royal Coach school minibus/van and a car collided near the corner of Route 202 and Miller Avenue, said New York State Police. The only children on the bus were the two students, whose injuries were described as minor, when the incident occurred at a stop sign at the intersection, said Amanda Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Somers school district. All onboard the bus, including the driver, a monitor, and the two students, were taken to the h…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Four Hospitalized As Car, School Bus Crash At Mahopac High School Four Hospitalized As Car, School Bus Crash At Mahopac High School
Four Hospitalized As Car, School Bus Crash At Mahopac High School Four people were hospitalized after a crash involving a car and school bus just as school was letting out at Mahopac High School. Just before 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 17, Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department, Rescue, EMS and Fire Police were dispatched, along with EMStar paramedics and multiple PCSO units already on the scene at the Baldwin Place Road entrance of the high school for a car vs. bus accident with injuries, said Jack Casey of the Mahopac Falls Fire Department. Chief Brian Sacher arrived on the scene and assumed Incident Command, while Lt. Loprieno took charge of operations and…

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by Daily Voice
Police & Fire
Police Dish Out 13 Tickets During In School Bus Safety Detail In Dutchess, Putnam Counties Police Dish Out 13 Tickets During In School Bus Safety Detail In Dutchess, Putnam Counties
Police Dish Out 13 Tickets During In School Bus Safety Detail In Dutchess, Putnam Counties New York State Police troopers were out in force in the area as part of a statewide initiative to “increase school bus safety awareness through education and enforcement.” Troopers in Dutchess and Putnam counties dished out 13 tickets while following school buses in Wappinger, Washington and Southeast on Thursday, April 2. Seven of those tickets were issued to drivers illegally passing buses. According to police, an estimated 50,000 vehicles illegally pass school buses in New York each day. “The State Police will continue such operations in furtherance of our mission to ensure highw…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Arlington Woman Named Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year Arlington Woman Named Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year
Arlington Woman Named Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year A woman from Arlington has officially been named as the winner of the 18th annual Dutchess County’s School Bus Driver of the Year award. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced Wednesday, May 1 that Janice Tito of the Arlington Central School District was chosen for the coveted award. Molinaro noted Tito’s “exemplary service and safety record” as reasons for the award, adding that the award is part of the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board’s ongoing efforts to promote school bus safety. “Each day throughout Dutchess County, be it on multi-lane thoroughfares or back roads, schoo…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Woman Charged In Hit-Run Crash With School Bus In Hudson Valley Woman Charged In Hit-Run Crash With School Bus In Hudson Valley
Woman Charged In Hit-Run Crash With School Bus In Hudson Valley New York State Police troopers tracked down a woman involved in a hit-and-run with a school bus in the Hudson Valley, who now is facing charges. Troopers from the Wurtsboro barracks responded to a reported hit-and-run incident involving a school bus that was discharging students on Burlingham Road in Bloomburg on Friday, Feb. 1. Police said that it was determined that a Jeep Liberty had failed to stop for the flashing red lights of a stopped school bus, striking it as the vehicle passed by. No injuries were reported. The investigation into the incident found that the Jeep was being driven …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Random Drug Tests For School Bus Drivers Under New State Law Random Drug Tests For School Bus Drivers Under New State Law
Random Drug Tests For School Bus Drivers Under New State Law School bus drivers in New York will soon be subjected to random drug and alcohol tests following the passage of new legislature. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that will crack down on potentially impaired school bus drivers, requiring them all to submit to random testing throughout the year.  The law, which was signed by Cuomo last week, will take effect in 120 days. It will also prevent drivers from consuming alcohol eight hours prior to their shift, an increase of two hours from the previous laws. The drivers will be placed in a pool for random screenings once the legislatu…

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by Zak Failla
News
One Fatality Reported In Crash Involving School Bus In Dutchess One Fatality Reported In Crash Involving School Bus In Dutchess
One Fatality Reported In Crash Involving School Bus In Dutchess One person died following a crash between a car and a Red Hook school bus, according to Hyde Park police. According to Lt. Robert Benson, the crash occurred around 8 a.m., Monday in the area of South Quaker Lane and Dana Place. Once on scene, officers found a head-on crash between the bus and the car with a possible ejection. An investigation into the crash revealed that a 2002 Honda Civic was traveling north on South Quaker Lane, and a 2015 Ford Red Hook School bus traveling south on South Quaker lane collided. The operator of the Honda was partially ejected and was pronounced dead at the …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
One Fatality Reported In Crash Involving School Bus In Dutchess One Fatality Reported In Crash Involving School Bus In Dutchess
One Fatality Reported In Crash Involving School Bus In Dutchess This story has been updated. One person died following a crash between a car and a Red Hook school bus, according to Hyde Park police. According to Lt. Robert Benson, the crash occurred around 8 a.m., Monday in the area of South Quaker Lane and Dana Place. Once on scene, officers found a head-on crash between the bus and the car with a possible ejection. An investigation into the crash revealed that a 2002 Honda Civic was traveling north on South Quaker Lane, and a 2015 Ford Red Hook School bus traveling south on South Quaker lane collided. The operator of the Honda was partially ejected a…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Dutchess School Bus Driver Of Year Works For Pawling CSD Dutchess School Bus Driver Of Year Works For Pawling CSD
Dutchess School Bus Driver Of Year Works For Pawling CSD Vincent Valentino of the Pawling Central School District, has been named the winner of the 17th annual Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year Award, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced on Wednesday, April 25.  The award, recognizes Valentino's exemplary service and safety record. The award is part of the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board’s efforts to promote school bus safety, given in conjunction with the launch of the annual Operation Safe Stop Project supported by the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Valentino, who has been employed by the Pawli…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Police To Crack Down On Drivers Who Pass Stopped School Buses Police To Crack Down On Drivers Who Pass Stopped School Buses
Police To Crack Down On Drivers Who Pass Stopped School Buses State and local police will be cracking down on motorists that pass stopped school bus during “Operation Safe Stop.” The special enforcement detail - the 15th annual - will be focused on deterring motorists from passing the buses and is designed to educate the public about the dangers of passing buses when they are dismissing students and their lights are flashing. “Passing a stopped school bus is one of the most dangerous actions a driver can take, and these incidents are easily preventable,” Terri Egan, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State DMV and Acting GTSC Chair stated.…

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by Zak Failla