A Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools bus was hit with gunfire, reported WCNC Charlotte.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released a statement saying that the gunfire came from a drug-related dispute that occurred outside the school bus on Monday. The bus was not the intended target, police added. Two students from Albemarle Middle School were injured from glass broken by the gunfire, according to the police statement.

Police arrested 21-year-old Lamarius Ramel Anthony, who is charged with carrying a concealed weapon and felony possession of cocaine.

Local security guard Eyersol Belbuel was reportedly nearby when the shooting occurred and assisted the school bus driver in safely evacuating all the students.

Related: Teen Charged in Pennsylvania School Bus Shooting, 3 Others Wanted
Related: Texas Student Fires Gun on School Bus
Related: Arizona Student Found with Gun on School Bus

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Madison alder Charles Myadze was charged with eight felonies Monday related to ongoing allegations of abuse.

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The wife of a Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own drowning so he could leave her and their children and meet a woman in Eastern Europe filed court documents Thursday seeking to end their marriage.

The post The wife of a Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own death moves to end their marriage appeared first on WPR.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WTMJ and Wisconsin Watch are working together to uncover more about the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s list of police officers it views as unreliable witnesses for testimony in court cases.

The post Investigating Wisconsin ‘Brady Lists’ of police officers deemed unreliable for court testimony appeared first on WPR.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.,  speaks during a news conference regarding the separation of immigrant children at the U.S. Capitol on July 10, 2018 in Washington, D.C.  (Photo by Alex Edelman/Getty Images)

Raúl Grijalva, the top Democrat on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, will not seek to remain in that position in the next Congress, he said in a written statement Monday.

The announcement from Grijalva, an Arizona progressive who has led Democrats on the committee overseeing environmental, public lands and tribal issues for a decade, paves the way for California’s Jared Huffman to take the ranking member role.

Meanwhile, in another major development among Democrats in the House, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said he would challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York as ranking member on the powerful House Judiciary Committee.

“This is where we will wage our front-line defense of the freedoms and rights of the people, the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI, and the security of our most precious birthright possessions: the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the rule of law, and democracy itself,” Raskin said in a “Dear Colleague” letter to lawmakers on Monday.  “I respectfully and humbly ask for your support for my candidacy.”

Grijalva to focus on recovery

Grijalva disclosed in April that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He returned to Congress last month. His Monday statement noted he would continue to focus on his recovery.

“After much thought, I have decided that it is the right moment to pass the torch as top Democrat” on the House Natural Resources Committee for the 119th Congress, he said. “I do not make this decision lightly, as being elected Ranking Member stands as the honor of my professional career. I will continue to focus on improving my health, strengthening my mobility, and serving my district in what is likely to be a time of unprecedented challenge for our community.”

Grijalva was reelected to the House in November. He plans to serve his full term as a rank-and-file member, a spokeswoman said.

In a statement, Huffman said if he is made ranking member, he would ask the House Democratic Caucus to give Grijalva the title of ranking member emeritus “in recognition of his distinguished career and the enduring importance of his leadership.”

Grijalva was first elected to the House in 2002. He became the Natural Resources Committee’s ranking Democrat in 2015.

Inflation Reduction Act

Grijalva chaired the committee while his party held the majority from 2019 to 2023.

The first half of his chairmanship was marked by investigations of the first Trump administration, including a criminal referral of former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

The second half, which occurred during the first two years of the Biden administration amid unified Democratic control of Washington, saw the passage of the climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act that Democrats passed along party lines.

With hundreds of millions available in tax breaks for renewable energy projects, the law represented the largest federal investment in addressing climate change to date.

“I am so deeply proud of the progress that my colleagues and I have achieved in protecting our nation’s rich natural and cultural heritage, advancing justice for communities overburdened by pollution, elevating Indigenous voices and honoring tribal sovereignty, fighting for the decolonization of the U.S. territories, and securing a cleaner, safer climate and energy future for all Americans,” Grijalva said Monday.

Avoids race among Dems

Grijalva, who is also a chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus after he co-chaired that group from 2009 to 2019, thanked “colleagues, tribal nations, and environmental organizations” who had supported him in his brief bid to fend off the challenge from Huffman.

Huffman, 60, said last month he would seek to unseat Grijalva, 76, a rarity among House Democrats, who do not use term limits for committee positions and normally strictly adhere to seniority.

Huffman is the top Democrat on the panel’s Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

A statement from Huffman Monday was full of praise for the outgoing leader and said he would seek to work closely with him in the period of transition.

“For the past twelve years, Rep. Raul Grijalva has been my friend and ally on the Natural Resources Committee,” Huffman wrote. “Working alongside him, I’ve seen his grit, determination, and passion for protecting our nation’s treasured natural resources, and his iron-clad commitment to lifting up frontline and indigenous communities.  He has inspired me and countless others with his passion and the clarity of his values.”

“Future generations will benefit from all that he has fought for and accomplished during his remarkable career,” the statement continued. “Rep. Grijalva leaves big shoes to fill, and I will now dedicate myself to building on his legacy of principled and productive leadership as Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee.”

Grijalva’s statement did not name Huffman.

A spokesman for Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Raskin and Nadler

Raskin in his letter said he was announcing his challenge to Nadler, a longtime top member of the panel, with “respect and boundless admiration,” but also said the upcoming session of Congress would be crucial for the nation’s future and House Judiciary would play a major role.

“We face an administration that would essentially put the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 on steroids. They want to turn the Justice Department and FBI into weapons of not only mass immigrant roundup and deportation but political revenge and prosecution. They would collapse the system of separated powers into an all-powerful monarchical Executive, and convert America from being a defender of democracy and human rights to being an open collaborator with autocrats and authoritarian oppression,” wrote Raskin, a former professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law and a member of the Jan. 6 investigative committee in the 117th Congress.

“They want to align us with Putin’s Russia, Kim Jong Un’s North Korea, Xi’s China and Orban’s Hungary. In the 119th Congress, the Judiciary Committee will be the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism and MAGA’s campaign to dismantle our Constitutional system and the rule of law as we know it. I hope to be at the center of this fight and—as someone who has battled cancer and chemotherapy—I can tell you that I will never, never surrender.”

Nadler told colleagues last month he would like to continue in his role as ranking member of the committee, Axios reported.

A missing 7-year-old Two Rivers boy was found dead Sunday after an overnight search. The Two Rivers Police Department released a statement confirming they had recovered the body of Jacob […]

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Body-worn cameras have become more common in the last decade, but Madison is an outlier. It’s the largest city in the Midwest that doesn’t use body-worn cameras.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a 190-page report that reviews laws across the U.S. detailing motorist requirements when passing stopped school buses.

State Laws on School Bus Passing was released as a Congress directive to NHTSA as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and researched laws in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This followed results earlier this year from the annual National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) illegal passing survey, which estimated over 43.5 million illegal school bus passes occurred during the 2022-2023 school year, prompting further review of state laws.

“Illegal passings of stopped school buses loading and unloading students in violation of these laws are frequent and can lead to serious pedestrian-involved crashes resulting in injury or death,” the report states.

The findings of the report included variability in state laws regarding illegal passing, different penalties for offenders, challenges in enforcement, as well as best practices and recommendations.

The report also detailed the history of illegal passing related legislation, which dates back 90 years. A section of the Uniform Vehicle Code was added in 1934 that required motorists to slow to “a speed which is reasonable and prudent … and in no event in excess of 10 miles per hour” when passing a stopped school bus. That law was modified several times and resulted in today’s general nationwide requirement across all states that flashing yellow or amber lights signals motorists of an upcoming stop while flashing red lights and an extended stop arm indicate that motorists make a full stop and remain stopped until the red lights cease and the stop arm folds and returns to the side of the bus.

NHTSA stated that recent changes in various state laws about whether motorists should stop for a school bus on the other side of a divided highway can cause issues. “Unfortunately, the lack of clarity and consistency in the presentation of these laws, particularly the provisions related to divided highways and the need to stop for a school bus on school property can be confusing,” the report stated.

Following research of state laws, NHTSA said it found that all U.S. jurisdictions “require a motorist to stop while overtaking from behind a stopped school bus regardless of the road type (undivided or divided).” The differing requirements were in cases where a motorist is approaching the stopped school bus from the front, with 42 states requiring motorists should also stop if approaching from the front on an undivided highway. Some states require a stop only if the undivided highway has a certain number of lanes, which continues to add to the lack of clarity and cohesiveness between states.

The effectiveness of illegal passing laws is discussed in depth in the NHTSA’s Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses: Best Practices Guide, which was referenced multiple times in the report. Findings from that guide included permitting citizen reports of violations, although this could lead to inaccurate reporting. Illegal passing incidents can be difficult to track for other reasons, including a lack of police presence in high violation areas, insufficient evidence, and issues with camera placement and operating.

Only 24 states or territories currently allow the use of cameras to enforce illegal passing, and of those 24 there are varying criteria about whether the driver’s face must be identifiable in the violation footage.

“While it is theoretically possible a wide variety of laws in a given state could impact stop-arm camera effectiveness, this study did not identify any documented evidence that other laws (i.e., statutes/legal code outside the VTL (Vehicle Traffic Law) pertaining directly to passing of stopped school buses) were impacting stop-arm camera effectiveness,” stated the report. “As the installation of stop-arm camera systems increases across the country, this situation could change.”

There are also differences regarding if a law enforcement officer must witness the violation, whether in person or via review of video footage. Many states were unclear whether direct law enforcement confirmation was required, while others permitted student transportation professionals or software technicians to witnesses. Only 24 state laws specify that a private citizen such as a school bus driver can be a suitable witness to a violation, resulting in enforcement.

Reiterating the importance of clear and unanimous requirements was the recurring theme of the report. “The lack of clarity in drafting the passing law provisions themselves, further compromises the ability of anyone, particularly the typical motorist, to understand these legal requirements,” NHTSA states.

Penalties for motorists convicted of illegally passing a school bus are also widely variable and are not always mandatory. In some states, the report notes, it is up to judicial distraction if the motorist will be penalized. The penalties can range from fines to misdemeanor charges, community service to driver improvement courses, license suspension to jail time. In some states, the violation could also be escalated to a felony if the incident results in serious injury or death. The report says that 26 jurisdictions have increased fines for illegal passing violations. Again, it was noted that there are specific regulations in each state that vary based on repeat violations, injuries, or worse.

NHTSA provided an individual report on each of the 54 U.S. jurisdictions that outlined what constitutes an illegal passing, how a violation can be reported and enforced and possible penalties for the motorists.

“As with many parts of the legal code, finding ways to standardize language and requirements across States could be beneficial to improve motorist understanding and possibly compliance with laws surrounding illegal passing of stopped school buses,” the report recommends.

The NHTSA guide looked at data from different states and territories, and it found that addressing illegal passing needs to be a “two-pronged” effort which brings together education of drivers, students and motorists along with effective, consistent enforcement of laws.

The NHTSA guide was encouraged as a resource that outlines program ideas to reduce illegal passing incidents, including strategies such as educational programs, high visibility enforcement and frequent, ongoing evaluations & research to find if current practices are “actually effective for reducing illegal passing of stopped school buses and the best methods to implement such programs.”

Related: NHTSA Releases Estimates on Traffic Fatalities
Related: Addy’s Law in Georgia, Targets Illegal Passers of School Buses
Related: 6 Student Deaths Reported in Latest School Bus Loading, Unloading Survey

The post NHTSA Releases Report on Nationwide Illegal School Bus Passing Laws appeared first on School Transportation News.

School buses can be rough and tumble environments. Some students enjoy horseplay in the back of the bus, and sometimes a little roughhousing can escalate into a more serious fight. In some cases, parents can even become hostile toward school bus drivers.

Leaders in school transportation say the best approach is to handle the situation firmly with empathy. Students and parents need to know there will be consequences for misconduct.

Robert Feinberg, the transportation director for Deer Creek Schools in Oklahoma, said he has seen a wide variety of student behaviors on buses, from rough horseplay to significant brawls.

“It is important to set firm procedures and policies; parents must know and understand the rules. These rules must be posted so that everyone can see them,” said Feinberg, whose operation transports about 4,000 students one way, daily, on 53 routes.

Students and their parents should understand that even a minor conflict could lead to consequences. “Many of our physical fights start with horseplay that turns into fights. We tell our students this behavior is not acceptable,” said Feinberg. “We tell our students this is not the Antler (school mascot) way.”

Another critical tool for managing school bus behavior is a sound video system on each bus. “We can pull a video and tell who instigated the fight. We have a good camera system on our buses,” said Feinberg.

However, it’s important to note that while technology can be a useful tool, it should not replace the need for human intervention and understanding in managing student behavior.

Bret Brooks, chief operating officer for school safety and security consulting firm Gray Ram Tactical in Higginsville, Missouri, has extensive experience with school transportation issues. The company offers training programs and physical security assessments to bus companies and school districts.

He said some of the approaches to school transportation are less than desirable and believes some basic approaches should be used.

“The first thing is awareness. People should understand the dangers of being on a school bus and what is most likely to happen. Bus drivers should be trained to deal with potentially violent situations. And there must be community buy-in on the importance of safety measures. School district leaders must be invested in school bus safety,” said Brooks, also an active-duty law enforcement officer.

This community buy-in could involve regular safety meetings with parents, students and local law enforcement, as well as encouraging parents to reinforce the importance of good behavior on the bus at home.

Much of Gray Ram’s training shows school bus drivers and aides how to de-escalate situations. It is important that bus drivers have empathy so they can understand why a young person might react violently. Some young people might have different reactions, ranging from using a gun to fist fighting to taunting.

Brooks said he has found that children and teenagers in a tense situation will follow the possible reactions of others. They might start by name-calling and then some pushing and shoving. Eventually, they might use their fists or even a weapon.

“It is important to watch for the indicators among school bus passengers and then to react appropriately during that testing,” said Brooks. “If drivers fail to act appropriately, there is the potential for violence.”

Other adults can be in the classroom if a teacher can’t handle a situation. A school bus driver often does not have other adults on board to handle the situation, so training is essential.

Guy Grace, vice chairman of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools and a retired security director from Colorado’s Littleton Public Schools, has 39 years of experience managing behavior on school buses. He said bad bus behavior needs to have consequences. He also recommends that school districts use surveillance systems on their buses because this allows administrators to see exactly what happened during an incident. It is also vital that administrators periodically review the bus surveillance system so they can pick up problems that a driver or aide may not have detected.

“Many times, a bus surveillance system is the only review we have when there is an incident,” said Grace. “We have identified problems the driver is unaware of, and we can leverage our technology. We need to talk with the bus drivers about potential problems.”

Another important element is being proactive by monitoring students who are misbehaving more than most. “There may be significant issues, or maybe they are just nuisances. We watch kids to really be aware of their full situation and safety,” said Grace.

It is also essential to pay attention to what parents are doing, especially amid several recent cases nationwide involving the assault of school bus drivers. Are they lingering in the background at bus stops? One can observe parents or individuals who are doing something before bus drivers know about it, and this awareness is crucial. The climate and culture of a bus situation make it essential to foster a secure and caring culture.

“It is important to have good training and to empower drivers. How does the driver interact with kids and listen to kids and parents?” said Grace.

Route supervisors must be proactive and look for ways to calm a situation when necessary. “One of the biggest missing pieces is the video, which shows what is really going on in the bus and how the driver is behaving and ascertaining behavior. Are they missing external threats?” cautioned Grace.

Meanwhile, Mike Dorn, the former chief of police for Bibb County Schools in Georgia and the executive director of global security analyst Safe Havens International, said he believes a firm and consistent approach to school bus discipline is critical to maintaining bus order and safety. He knows school buses can be rough and hard environments. While drivers and school administrators work to make the bus as safe as possible, some kids misbehave while others fight.

Dorn said he knows some parents who can cause serious safety problems. He believes a public code of conduct should be posted in each school.

Related: Behavior Expert Brings Special Needs De-Escalation Tools to TSD Conference
Related: (STN Podcast E206) Security Training, 25 Years After Columbine + Top Transportation Teams Time
Related: (STN Podcast E195) How We Get Better: Security Lessons From Uvalde, Ukeru Student Management System
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Dorn and other professionals have seen a lack of understanding of how to handle difficult situations best. “Don’t just say calm down. There should be evidence-based verbal de-escalation techniques.,” he advised.

It is important that children, teenagers and parents understand that disorderly conduct and violent behavior will not be tolerated and that there will be consequences for poor behavior. The consequences need to be spelled out and enforced. He has found that with a proactive approach to school bus discipline, the level of incidents decreases considerably.

“We had middle school kids who got into a fight and were charged for fighting. When kids realized they would get in legal trouble, the number of fights decreased. If kids had a weapon in a fight, they would face legal charges, reducing the number of fights,” said Dorn.

A diversion problem was also set up for kids who got into legal trouble on buses. This got parents involved in reducing the problem of fighting. “We also used statutes like disrupting a public-school bus. If a student threw an object that hit a bus driver in traffic or an adult boarded a school bus and created a problem, we would charge them with disrupting a school bus, which was very effective,” said Dorn.

Herbert Byrd, the assistant director of student transportation for Chesapeake Public Schools in Virginia, said he believes in consistent discipline on school buses. He noted there should be videos on school buses documenting fights or other incidents. Byrd also said accountability is critical and that school administrators should support bus drivers.

“A school bus driver has about 50 kids on a bus and can’t see everything. The driver is usually alone and may not have the support that a teacher in a school would have,” said Byrd. “If a video camera is on a bus, we can see exactly what happened. Driving a school bus is demanding, and it is hard for districts to find qualified bus drivers who want to make it a career.’

Byrd also said school bus drivers should be better supported. If a student on a bus misbehaves, the school bus driver should know that the school administration will back him up, and the student will face consequences, he added.

Related: STN EXPO INDY AI Session Advises Attendees to be Curious but Cautious
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