KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Marlon has extensively covered the issue of bus stop-arm violations in Platte County, listening to the voices of concerned parents, school officials, and the county prosecutor. Share your story idea with Marlon.
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For weeks, I've continued my coverage on drivers ignoring school bus stop signs.
I also received an email from a viewer from a different county. We wanted to go beyond Platte County to examine how districts across the metro are handling this dangerous problem.
"Children are now in danger. You see a stop sign, you see a red light, you stop," Parent Andrea Lynn Rodriguez told me.
The Platte County R-3 School District has stop-arm cameras on the side of every single bus. The school district shared videos with me that show drivers breaking the law. This is a problem parents have been talking to me about.
"You're supposed to stop. Stop means stop," said Regina Carter, another concerned parent.
I've been covering this issue, specifically here in Platte County, this school year.
"Your pieces are out on Facebook, and people are looking at them," said Director of Transportation JT Thomas.
KSHB 41 has a team of reporters all over the metro. I asked them to check with districts in the geographical area they cover to see how they're handling this problem.
Isabella Ledonne, who covers Johnson County:
- The Blue Valley Unified School District in Overland Park does track stop-arm violations. They told me that since school started, there have been about 12 violations per month.
Tod Palmer, who covers Jackson County:
- The Blue Springs School District does track stop-arm violations. It's unique in the fact that it operates its own police department and each bus is equipped with a stop-arm camera system.
Rachel Henderson, who covers Wyandotte County
- The Turner School District in Wyandotte County relies on the Kansas State Department of Education program, where school bus drivers across the state report violations.
- KCKPD does schedule dates throughout the year to monitor violations.
Ryan Gamboa, who covers Miami and Cass counties
- USD 368 in Paola said they haven't had any problems with drivers violating bus laws.
- The Pleasant Hill School District says that it could add some camera technology through a pilot program, and they say they have seen an increase in drivers not following the law.
Elyse Schoenig, who covers Johnson County
- DeSoto School District said it doesn't track bus driver violations and that they haven't had any concerns.
Fernanda Silva, who covers Clay County
- Liberty schools use an onboard video system to help enforce stop-arm violations.
A national organization keeps track of stop-arm violations in the state of Kansas. They said the number of violations actually went down from 2024 to 2025. Let's be clear, riding the bus is still one of the safest ways for your kids to get to and from school.
"Legislature could change this," said Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd.
Zahn tells me he looks to work with lawmakers to help keep children safe and raise awareness of this ongoing problem.
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