Slow Down for School Buses

Tuesday is the first day of school in the School District of Oconee County and motorists are being cautioned to slow down to watch for kids.  Oconee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Lucas urges motorists to be careful in the vicinity of schools and bus stops.  “Just a reminder that there will be kids out, often they will be up and out before the sun comes up around 6:30am to get on the bus, so people need to be on the lookout.  They also need to slow down.  My other advice is to parents, if possible, please let your child ride the school bus the first day.  It helps us because number one it lessen the congestion in the school area and also it lets a kid know what their bus driver looks like, what bus number they ride and that helps as they get off the bus a lot times that is written down, so that we can help to make sure they get on the correct bus in the afternoon.” Watch out for kids early in the morning, adds Dr. Lucas.  “I would be cautious as you leave your neighborhood between 6:30am and 7am and then around school zones probably 30 minutes before school opens around 7:30am to 8:30am.  That is critical time.  Another thing I want to remind people about is the school bus.  One of the things we have happen is we pick up our children and if you are on a two-lane road you have to stop if you are going in the opposite direction.  If you are on a divided highway or a four-lane highway, you do not have to stop and occasionally we will have issues where people don’t know quit what they are supposed to do, so remember if you are on a four-lane divided highway, you don’t stop in the opposite but you do stop in the lane where the bus is and if it is a two-lane road, you stop both sides.” Please watch for children throughout the school year but especially this first week of school in Oconee County.