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School Bus Safety

Schools
County Equips School Buses With Stop-Arm Cameras In Hudson Valley County Equips School Buses With Stop-Arm Cameras In Hudson Valley
County Equips School Buses With Stop-Arm Cameras In Hudson Valley A Hudson Valley county is ensuring drivers are fined for not stopping for a stopped school bus by installing new stop-arm cameras. Rockland County Executive Ed Day announced on Tuesday, Aug. 27, that stop-arm cameras have been installed on nearly all school buses countywide in time for the 2024 school year. “These cameras will automatically record any vehicle that illegally passes a stopped school bus, capturing crucial evidence that will be used to enforce traffic laws and hold offenders accountable,” explained Day. “But this program is not about enforcement; it’s about saving lives, and n…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Man Nabbed After Hit-Run Involving School Bus In Hudson Valley Man Nabbed After Hit-Run Involving School Bus In Hudson Valley
Man Nabbed After Hit-Run Involving School Bus In Hudson Valley Thanks to newly installed surveillance cameras, authorities were able to catch a 48-year-old driver who struck a school bus in the Hudson Valley and left the scene.  The incident that prompted the search for the driver happened in Putnam County on Friday, April 26, when a Dodge pickup truck struck a school bus's extended stop sign on Shear Hill Road in Mahopac, according to Carmel Police.  According to authorities, the collision occurred while the bus was picking up a student on its morning route. After the crash, the truck fled toward Croton Falls Road and did not stop to re…

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by Ben Crnic
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
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
Police & Fire
Bus Driver Charged After Hudson Valley Boy, 9, Hit By Truck, Police Say Bus Driver Charged After Hudson Valley Boy, 9, Hit By Truck, Police Say
Bus Driver Charged After Hudson Valley Boy, 9, Hit By Truck, Police Say A Hudson Valley school bus driver has been charged with reckless endangerment after an investigation into a 9-year-old boy being hit by a truck after getting off the bus. Rockland County resident Edgar Hawkins, age 61, of Stony Point, was charged on Thursday, July 20, for the incident which took place on Tuesday, March 21 in Ramapo. According to Lt. Blaine Howell, of the Ramapo Police, on March 21, around 5:10 pm an officer on patrol was made aware of a motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian.  When he arrived on the scene, the officer found a child pinned under…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Northern Westchester, Police Say Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Northern Westchester, Police Say
Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Northern Westchester, 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 Northern Westchester Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At District In Northern Westchester
Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At District In Northern Westchester 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 Northern Westchester Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board School Bus Driver In Northern Westchester Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board
School Bus Driver In Northern Westchester 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
Police & Fire
Girl Knocked Under School Bus Leads To Driver Being Cited In Area Girl Knocked Under School Bus Leads To Driver Being Cited In Area
Girl Knocked Under School Bus Leads To Driver Being Cited In Area A 5-year-old girl was rescued after she was knocked under a school bus in the area, leading to the driver being charged with unsafely starting the bus. It happened in Rockland County on Wednesday, Dec. 25 at approximately 8:30 a.m. at Bates Drive near the intersection of Horton Drive in Monsey. The initial investigation revealed that bus from Congregation Beth Rochel collided with the girl while the child was attempting to cross in front of the stopped school bus, to board the bus, Ramapo Police said. During the investigation, it was found the bus driver was apparently unaware of…

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by Joe Lombardi
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
Police & Fire
Kids OK After Mini-Cooper Rear-Ends School Bus On Route 4 In Hackensack Kids OK After Mini-Cooper Rear-Ends School Bus On Route 4 In Hackensack
Kids OK After Mini-Cooper Rear-Ends School Bus On Route 4 In Hackensack A group of youngsters on a school bus involved in a multi-vehicle crash Monday morning on westbound Route 4 in Hackensack were hospitalized as a precaution, responders said. None of the children on the White Plains Bus Company vehicle out of Westchester appeared seriously injured but were being taken to Hackensack University Medical Center to be completely checked out. It wasn't immediately clear where the youngsters are from. The driver of the Mini-Cooper, part of which slid under the school bus, was hospitalized with serious injuries, responders said.  Two occupants of a minivan that hi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Motorist Killed In Crash Involving School Bus, Car In Area Motorist Killed In Crash Involving School Bus, Car In Area
Motorist Killed In Crash Involving School Bus, Car In Area 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 Person Reported Dead In Crash Involving School Bus In Hyde Park One Person Reported Dead In Crash Involving School Bus In Hyde Park
One Person Reported Dead In Crash Involving School Bus In Hyde Park 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
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