Law enforcement, school officials urge caution as buses return to roads
A Warren Local School bus is seen with its stop arm extended on Ohio 339 during a practice run Friday. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Warren Local School buses practice their lineup Friday at Warren High School in preparation for the 2026-27 school year. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
A Warren Local School bus is seen with its stop arm extended on Ohio 339 during a practice run Friday. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Warren Local School buses practice their lineup Friday at Warren High School in preparation for the 2026-27 school year. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
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VINCENT – Area law enforcement and school personnel are working to ensure the safety of students as the 2026-27 school year gets underway.
Classes for Warren Local Schools begin Tuesday, but the district’s buses were on the road Friday as drivers learned new routes and turnarounds. Alicia Jaramillo, transportation director of Warren Local, urged motorists to be aware of school bus stops.
"It's about the safety of the kids," she said, "We have a lot of (illegal school bus passes) especially on (Ohio) 339 and 550."
Illegal school bus passes refer to motorists passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended.
Jaramillo said district personnel are focused on the public understanding the importance of their roles in the safety of students crossing at bus stops.
“I'm worried for the safety of the kids,” bus driver Christina Davis said. “Even if they don't have to cross (339) I'm still worried".
Davis is the driver for the route along Ohio 339 and said at one point "I had the most illegal school bus passes in the district."
As part of the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group grant awarded to Warren Local Schools, school buses now have extended stop arms to increase visibility with the hope of decreasing school bus passes.
Davis said the extended stop arms has helped in that regard.
"I wouldn't want to (have the students cross 339) without it,” she said.
According to a release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, there have been 7,179 traffic crashes involving school buses on Ohio's roadways since 2021, six of which were fatal. Of the six individuals who dies, one was a school-aged student.
It's important for all drivers to familiarize themselves with the traffic laws relating to stopped school buses, the release said, including:
* When a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, all vehicles traveling in both directions must come to a complete stop at least 10 feet from the bus. This applies to two-lane roads and roads with a center turning lane.
* On roads with four or more lanes, or divided highways, only traffic traveling in the same direction as the bus is required to stop. Oncoming traffic may proceed with caution.
* Motorists must remain stopped until the bus resumes motion or the bus driver signals that it is safe to proceed.
The Wood County Sheriff's Office will have deputies "out in full force throughout the county, particularly around schools and school zones," Sheriff Rick Woodyard said.
Deputies will enforce a “zero tolerance” policy regarding speeding and passing stopped school buses.
In a post on its Facebook page, the sheriff's office asked everyone to do their part, "slow down in school zones, stop for school buses, put the phone down, stay alert and follow school traffic patterns and posted signs."
"Our children should be able to walk into a school, step off a bus or cross a street without worrying about whether a driver is paying attention,” the post said.
Sophie Wheeler can be reached at shweeler@newsandsentinel.com.