Reporter: Mariaregina Mendoza
•8/13/2026
LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — As students head back to school, drivers are being reminded just how important it is to stop for school buses.
A mother of two, Lauren Jacobs, says watching drivers speed past her children's stopped school bus is the most frustrating part of her morning.
"The kids are trying to get on, and they don't care. All you have to do is sit there with your kids in the morning and wait for them to get on the bus, and you'll see how fast majority of the cars go and they go around the school bus," Jacobs said.
Farrah Ellis, a Lee County bus driver with 10 years behind the wheel, sees it firsthand every day.
"You do see a lot of drivers blowing through the stop signs, through your red stops," Ellis said. "Some parents will actually come in the road and stop before the kids even cross the road, to make sure that the kids get across safe. But it's also important to teach your kids to pay attention to you before they cross the road, so that you can show them the signal that it's okay and it's safe enough for them to cross the road."
Last year, the Lee County School District partnered with BusPatrol to equip more than 600 school buses with stop-arm camera technology.
If a driver illegally passes a stopped bus, the cameras capture the vehicle and license plate. The sheriff’s office reviews the violation, and if it’s confirmed, a $225 citation is mailed to the registered owner.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno says the focus this school year is getting drivers to follow the law.
"We don't want to write citations. We want compliance. We want people to follow the rules because that's what saves lives. Every violation represents a child that could have, God forbid, been hit by a car," Marceno said.
Donny Wolfe with BusPatrol says the cameras are making a difference.
"We've seen a 30% reduction since the program's inception in December through May of violations per bus per day. That is a significant and huge decrease that we're really proud of," Wolfe said.
Since December 2025, more than 31,000 notices of violation have been issued to drivers who illegally passed stopped school buses in Lee County alone.
Jacobs put it simply: "No child, no one's life is worth it. Just slow down."
Lee County Schools says extra law enforcement and school staff will be out directing traffic for the first two weeks as families get back into their routines.
