GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. -- — Three siblings killed in Indiana, after investigators say a driver didn't stop for a school bus. A Walkertown middle school student killed while walking to the bus stop.
All tragic stories, all posing the question are kids safe while traveling to school?
Guilford County School leaders of course watch the news, they read the news stories about tragic accidents involving young school children and school buses. So they, like many of us are worried about school bus safety.
"So when I see a story like that, it immediately alerts me that even though we have all these procedures in place, motorists continue to break the stop sign law, and hit children. It is so unfortunate. Very unfortunate," said Guilford County Schools Transportation Director, Jeff Harris.
GCS says it's doing everything it can to keep kids safe.
District leaders taught bus drivers and students hand signals for crossing the road.
There are cameras on the outside of many buses, and for the past several years, the district has been slowly but surely installing extended stop arms on buses.
"To just try to capture someone's attention to let them know - Hey -- this bus is making a stop, and there could be children crossing the road," said Harris
However, it doesn't always work.
Jeff Harris, the Guilford County Schools Transportation Director says people still hit the extended stop arms.
"I would say we have had at least two of those instances per year where someone has hit the extended stop arm. Unfortunately if they hit the extended stop arm, it means they probably could have hit a child," said Harris.
Those 6 foot extended school bus arms are not cheap. They cost about $2,000 a piece. The school system says they are trying to purchase at least a few of them every single year.