The safety program, which is completely cost-free to taxpayers and school districts, will cover approximately 6,000 buses, protecting every child across all 48 school districts that have opted-in to the program.
The County Executive also announced a new School Bus Safety Advisory Committee that is charged with providing recommendations and best practices for implementation of the Stop Arm Camera Program. The Committee will make recommendations on the development of a robust public awareness campaign to educate residents on the new state law, reasonable enforcement that the public should anticipate and rollout of the new safety program.
Members of the School Bus Safety Advisory Committee include:
- Ron Masera, President, Suffolk School Superintendent Assoc. (Chair)
- Lori Fontana, President, Suffolk PTA Association
- Noel DiGerolamo, President, Suffolk County PBA
- Dan Levler, President, Suffolk County AME
- Susan Lipman, Past President, New York State PTA
- David Christopher, Executive Director, New York Association for Pupil Transportation
- Carol Sicignano, Pat-Med Transportation Coordinator, NYAPT Member
- John Ryan, Longwood Transportation Coordinator, NYAPT Member
- Richard Gallagher, Bay Shore Transportation Coordinator
- Frank Klein, Suffolk Transportation, Director, Safety & Training Operations
- John Corlett, AAA Northeast
- Chuck Conroy, Suffolk Coordinator, Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee
- Robert Brown, Chief of Patrol, Suffolk County Police Department
- Steve Skrynecki, Chief of Police, Southampton Police Department
- Chelley Gordon, Deputy Executive Director, Suffolk County TPVA
- Debra Hagan, President TWU Local 252 / Teamsters 1205
- Jean Souliere, CEO, BusPatrol
“As a father of three children, nothing is more important than ensuring their safety and wellbeing,” said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. “This new technology will ensure that our students will be further protected against dangerous driving when they are boarding a bus to go to school. I want to thank Bus Patrol for their partnership, and I especially want to thank the members of our School Bus Safety Advisory Committee for their commitment to ensuring a successful rollout of this vital safety initiative.
Jean Souliere, President and CEO of BusPatrol, said, “As a parent, I understand how important it is to protect our children. The new reality we are living has brought even greater focus to that responsibility, particularly when it comes to the journey to and from school. Under the leadership of Executive Steve Bellone, we are bringing world-class, cutting edge safety technology to every school bus in Suffolk County. As a result, every child will be safer, and every driver will know that stop means stop because we are watching, and offenders will be penalized. We commend Executive Bellone on this bold and thoughtful initiative, and look forward to successfully implementing what will certainly be a model program for the rest of the nation to follow.”
The new agreement was signed in November and the program is expected to go-live in the first quarter of 2021. The timing of the implementation will ultimately be determined by the Advisory Committee’s recommendations, which will be designed to maximize the public safety mission of the program.
County Executive Bellone noted, “We want to develop a rollout plan that will provide everyone who is interested with advance knowledge of the program. The singular mission of this program is to reduce and ultimately end violations of the NYS School Bus Passing Law in Suffolk County.”
Suffolk County’s school bus safety program will leverage world class technology and a robust public awareness campaign to educate drivers, reduce violations, and protect children. All upfront costs for the installation and maintenance of the stop-arm cameras will be covered by BusPatrol.
The modernized buses will include:
- Cloud-connected stop-arm and safety cameras that function in variable weather conditions
- 4G LTE connectivity
- AI assisted technology
- 4K & 180-degree coverage
- Anti-vibration technology
“Today is an historic day for student safety,” said Joseph C. Bond, Bay Shore Schools Superintendent. “The enforcement of school bus passing laws through the use of stop arm cameras is going to save lives. I have long advocated for this legislation and I am overjoyed that it is becoming a reality. Thank you to County Executive Bellone for his efforts to help us protect our most precious resource, our children.”
“We are pleased that school districts will have the ability to partner with Suffolk County on the School Bus Stop Arm Camera Program,” said Ronald M. Masera, President of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association. “While this program is optional, many districts in the county have already opted to participate. Over the years, we have witnessed incidents where motor vehicle drivers have disregarded stopping for a school bus. In some cases, these incidents have resulted in injuries to students. It is our hope that through a greater awareness this program will enhance the safety of our students and families at school bus stops.
BusPatrol will have installed its SafetyTech solutions on over 50,000 school buses across North America by the end of 2020, including those to be installed on buses in Suffolk County. For more information on BusPatrol and its SafetyTech, please visit www.buspatrol.com.