06-05-2025
McDowell County Schools prioritizes school bus safety after several close calls
WELCH, WV (WVNS) – McDowell County School administrators are taking extra steps to ensure the safety of bus drivers and students.
During the 2024-25 school year, there have been many close calls when kids are getting on and off school buses throughout the county.
Assistant Superintendent, Amanda Peyton explained one specific example where an elementary age girl was trying to cross the road after getting off the school bus. This girl was almost hit by a car that did not stop for the halted school bus.
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'Thankfully, the little girl waited on the signal. So she was trained by the [bus] driver to wait. That [car] driver just sped through, just really exceeding through there. One mile an hour [over] is too much. You know that that car was really speeding. We could have lost a child,' said Peyton.
Peyton told 59News their Transportation Director, Adam Grygiel has been very insistent that they do something to crack down on the incidents.
Cameras were already installed to capture the front-facing view of the bus, but now an additional rear-facing camera has been added to each bus. As soon as the 'stop' arm goes out, that camera starts recording. This captures pictures and camera footage of the driver, car, and license plate. This will be used if the driver decides against stopping for a school bus.
McDowell County Schools have began sending the film and photos to the McDowell County Sheriff's Department. Peyton said McDowell County Sheriff Muncy and his team are working to issue citations and fines for those who try to pass stopped school buses on the road.
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