The East Hampton and Springs School Districts have opted into a Suffolk County program meant to improve bus safety for students, administrators said on Tuesday.
According to the county, they are among 48 districts that are working with BusPatrol, which equips school buses with cameras to deter drivers from passing them illegally when the buses' stop signs are deployed.
Debra Winter, the Springs School superintendent, said she had been lobbying for this program even before she came to Springs four years ago. "Each year, our bus drivers report individuals passing school buses," she said in an email to The Star. "If this initiative saves one life, it is worth all our efforts to get this passed."
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said in a statement on Tuesday that the program is "completely cost-free to taxpayers and school districts."