To keep students safe from motorists as they board and exit their school bus, the School District of Lee County is partnering with BusPatrol. BusPatrol is a stop-arm enforcement technology provider committed to making roads safer for students.
Under the agreement, BusPatrol will place cameras on the stop arms of the School District’s 900 buses. The cameras will be able to capture the license plate of vehicles that illegally pass a stopped bus and provide the video to law enforcement for review. Drivers who illegally pass a bus will be fined $225.
“In the 2024 Florida Department of Education survey of illegal bus passings, Lee County bus drivers reported 912 incidents in a single day,” said Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin. “They recorded more than 800 in each of the two previous years. The safety and security of our students is our top priority, and this initiative is about changing behavior, so we ensure students get to and from school without putting them in harm’s way.”
The cameras are allowed under SB 766, Enforcement of School Bus Passing Infractions, which was signed into law on May 31, 2023. This law allows school districts to install infraction detection systems on school buses to document when a vehicle violates the law by passing a bus when its stop arm is out. The cameras cannot be used for any other purpose.
With the School Board’s approval on July 29, 2025, the School District will enter into agreements with Buspatrol and is required to initiate a 30-day public safety campaign before enforcement can begin.
