Delaware bill introduced to protect school bus drivers

DOVER, Del. – If a new bill becomes law in Delaware, intentionally interfering with the operations of a school bus could be a chargeable offense of disorderly conduct.

Under the legislation, Senate Bill 48,  intentional interference with a school bus could include boarding the bus and refusing to leave, wrongfully restricting the movement of a school bus; or threatening the school bus driver, a student, or any other passenger.

WMDT News spoke to one of the bill’s sponsors, State Senator Eric Buckson who tells us often times when this happens it’s the parents who disrupt operations.

“It is a bill that cures it when it is necessary to be enforced, and send a clear message to parents out there that ‘hey, this is not the way you do it, and it’s not going to be tolerated,” Sen. Buckson said. “It sends a message to our bus drivers, God Bless em’, that we’re protecting them.”

Senator Buckson says there’s a number of avenues parents can take to have issues they have with a school bus resolved, but showing up to the bus stop is not one of them.

“There are avenues for curing that problem,” Sen. Buckson emphasized. “They can seek assistance through the transportation office, they can go to the superintendent, the principal, and start there. What they shouldn’t be allowed to do, and what this bill prevents them from doing is showing up at the bus stop.”

The bipartisan bill currently awaits consideration in the Senate Education Committee.