School District Partners with BusPatrol

The below correspondence was sent to Mechanicsburg Area School District families announcing their partnering with BusPatrol for the enforcement of stop arm violations. Cameras have been installed to capture vehicles not adhering to the law related to the requirements of meeting or overtaking a school bus with its red flashing lights activated.

Good evening, Wildcat families.

Mechanicsburg Area School District has partnered with BusPatrol and local law enforcement to launch a new school bus safety program in line with PA Motor Vehicle Code § 3345. As part of the program, all school buses transporting our students will be outfitted with technology to make the ride to and from school safer for all.

This technology includes photo enforcement cameras to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses while the stop sign is out and red lights are engaged.

Footage obtained of a vehicle that illegally passes the stopped bus is then shared with the jurisdictional police department to determine whether to issue a violation by mail. The violation is reviewed by law enforcement and, once approved, a notice of violation is sent to the registered vehicle owner by mail.

The cameras are currently being installed, with an official program launch date of Monday, May 5, 2025.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation offers more information on their website regarding School Bus Stopping Laws, personal driver responsibilities, and penalties for violation of these laws. You may also click here for an informational graphic from PennDOT.

The safety of our students is our top priority. Pennsylvania’s Operation Safe Stop and participating agencies reported an estimated 131 illegal passes in just one school day in 2024, and reports estimate that state school buses are illegally passed more than two times per bus per day. These violations are no exception in MASD. Our hope is that this safety initiative will further protect our students by curbing dangerous driving behavior around school buses.

We welcome and encourage you to learn more about this program by visiting our Transportation Department website, where more information will be added in the coming days.

Thank you for helping to keep our Wildcats safe.