State to Pay for Foley Schools’ School Bus Stop Arm Cameras

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has awarded the Foley School District money to equip school busses with stop arm cameras.

Foley is part of the 8th and final phase of the Stop Arm Camera grant program. This phase of the program reimburses the school district for equipping 15 public school busses in the Foley district with cameras to catch drivers who blow by busses who are picking-up or dropping-off kids.

The final phase will also pay for cameras on other busses throughout the state, including:

• Greig's Bus Service (serving Morrison, Cass and Todd counties)
• Pequot Lakes ISD 186 (in Cass and Crow Wing counties)
• Pine River-Backus Schools (in Cass and Crow Wing counties)
• Stahlke Bus Service (serving Wright, Hennepin and Carver Counties)

In all, 465 busses are getting cameras in this final round of the program to the tune of $1.3-million. They'll join what will be a total of 8,000 school busses in Minnesota equipped with these cameras through the grant program.

In total, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety has invested some $15-million in school bus cameras.

OTS Director Mike Hanson says “No child or parent should have to worry about their safety when they’re getting on or off the bus. By using these cameras, more Minnesota communities will be able to hold bad drivers accountable and protect our children.”

Get our free mobile app

THE MINNESOTA SCHOOL BUS STOP ARM LAW

Under state law, drivers must stop for a school busses with flashing red lights and extended stop arm.

Drivers who violate the stop arm law could face $500 fines.

And drivers who pass a school bus on the right, pass when a child is outside the bus or injures or kills a child could face criminal charges.

That's where the stop arms cameras come in handy.

STOP ARM CAMERAS ARE A DETERRENT

If you know that some 8,000 Minnesota school busses are equipped with cameras, you may think twice about zipping past that school bus when you have to get somewhere. You will very likely get caught on camera. And identified. And charged.

STOP ARM CAMERAS AS AN IDENTIFICATION TOOL

School bus drivers are busy trying to keep kids safe. They have a lot to do. Cameras give drivers, school officials and police another set of unblinking eyes that are always recording. It's awfully hard to tell the judge "that wasn't me" when she's looking at Stop Arm Camera video with you clearly behind the wheel.

MINNESOTA STOP ARM CITATIONS

How big of a problem are stop arm violations?

Well, consider this. Between 2020 and 2024, Minnesota court data shows Hennepin County alone had over 1,900 school bus stop arm traffic citations.

In fact, here are the top 10 counties for stop arm citations for that time period:

• Hennepin -- 1,918
• Wright -- 1365
• Dakota -- 1307
• Blue Earth -- 1297
• Washington -- 1238
• Olmsted -- 1190
• Anoka -- 1165
• Scott -- 1153
• Stearns -- 1147
• Rice -- 1132