School was back in session in Polk County, Florida, and apparently some drivers needed a refresher course too.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office issued 94 citations to motorists accused of illegally passing stopped school buses on the first day of the new school year, according to FOX 13.
All 515 school buses in the county are now equipped with stop-arm safety cameras designed to record vehicles that continue past when the bus stops for students.
The 94 citations represented a busy opening day even by Polk County standards. Deputies averaged 74 such citations per school day in 2025.
Caught On Camera
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The cameras capture vehicles passing buses while their red lights are flashing and stop arms are extended, but Sheriff Grady Judd said a recording does not automatically become a citation.
Deputies review the footage and screen out close calls.
“If people are in the process of passing the school bus, and the stop arm catches them midway, we don’t even write those citations,” Judd told FOX 13. “So we screen out the close calls; these are the ones that have clearly violated the law.”
That means the first day’s total did not include every vehicle captured somewhere around a deploying stop arm. According to Judd, the 94 citations were issued after deputies reviewed the incidents and determined that the drivers had clearly violated the law.
Each camera-enforced violation carries a $225 penalty.
Learning Curve
Judd acknowledged that drivers may be running late, distracted by their phones, or otherwise not paying attention.
None of those possibilities changes what happens when a school bus stops.
“I realize that people are in a hurry, and sometimes people are talking on their phones and not paying attention, but I also realize that’s no excuse,” Judd said.
The cameras appear to have some success convincing cited motorists not to try it again.
According to data from camera technology company Verra Mobility cited by FOX 13, 98% of people who receive a stop-arm violation do not receive another one. The company also reported a 12% decline in violations from the beginning to the end of the school year.
Stop Means Stop
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has also been making the point directly.
The agency has used its social media accounts to highlight drivers passing stopped school buses, including a recurring “Stop Arm Saturday” campaign. The sheriff’s office has continued warning motorists about the same basic rule: when a school bus is stopped with its required signals activated, drivers who are required to stop need to stop.
People watching the FOX 13 report had some alternative proposals.
“Pass as many as possible before they pull that stop sign or you’ll never get to work on time,” one commenter wrote.
Others called for substantially harsher penalties, including license suspensions, jail time, and even felony charges.
Judd had a simpler request.
“I don’t want us to write even one ticket,” he said. “I just ask, please, respect our children and understand that the most important cargo we move on the roads is our children.”