Wayne County Public Schools will begin a modified schedule today, Tuesday, September 8, 2020. This means that school buses will be on the road as they transport students to and from schools per the modified schedule. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in recent years there were an average of 128 fatalities in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year and more school-aged pedestrians have been killed during the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. than any other time of day. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the local State Highway Patrol, will be monitoring the school zones for motor vehicle violations, particularly those individuals who elect to speed.

Sheriff Larry Pierce encourages the motoring public to adhere to the school zone speed limits and to practice defensive driving during the times that students are waiting for the school bus as well as exiting the school bus. He reminds everyone that children are unpredictable in their actions so please drive defensively and be prepared to stop. Slow down and be prepared to stop whenever you see yellow school bus lights flashing. It is a very serious motor vehicle offense to pass a stopped school bus when there are flashing red lights and the stop arm is extended. This is a sign that children are getting on or off the bus. Motorists must wait until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and the bus is moving before they can start driving again.