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Project Crossing Guard back on |
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Wednesday, 19 August 2009 |
It’s all about safety — namely the safety of schoolchildren.  Willie Maxon, far right, carries backpacks for his two sons, 9-year-old Sean George and 5-year-old Adam, early today at Angie Grant Elementary School in Benton. All Saline County school districts opened their doors to students today. Willie said his son Sean George is entering the first grade and Adam is starting kindergarten.
And Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Ken Casady puts that goal high on his priority list with Project Crossing Guard.
Local law enforcement agencies and the Casady’s office have teamed again to help protect children through this effort that Casady initiated in 2007.
The school bus safety project, though aimed at protecting students, is an indirect spinoff of a local tragedy that led to a state statute, Casady pointed out.
It results from the 2004 death of 9-year-old Isaac Brian, son of Kelly and Shari Brian of Benton.
The Brians lost their son when he got off a school bus and was struck by a vehicle that drove around the bus. This ultimately led to the enactment of Isaac’s Law, which increases the penalty for this traffic violation.
Isaac’s Law states that any person convicted of the misdemeanor offense of passing a stopped school bus can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to 90 days and have his license suspended for up to one year, Casady noted.
Project Crossing Guard is a continuation of the effort, Casady said.
“This has been a very successful project,” the prosecutor explained. “My office and Saline County law enforcement have received special recognition from school transportation officials for our efforts.”
The project is coordinated by Richard Friend, an investigator on Casady’s staff.
Under the program, Friend, local law enforcement personnel and school bus drivers will report, cite and arrest drivers that pass stopped school buses or otherwise endanger children in school bus zones.
Casady and Friend have met in the past with bus drivers from throughout the county to familiarize them with the program and the procedures that can best help in prosecuting any violations.
Friend also engages in extra patrols of “problem spots” that are identified by school bus drivers on their routes.
Before Casady initiated the program, bus drivers, particularly those in the Benton district, frequently reported incidents of traffic violations and expressed their concerns about student safety.
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Razorbacks
