As the school year starts, take extra time to be careful with added traffic, school buses and children walking in the mornings and afternoons. Tomorrow classes commence for Washington, Mid-Prairie, Highland, and Hillcrest Academy. Washington Community School District Transportation Director Woody Harden says now is a good time for parents to talk to their kids, “The biggest thing is just have your students ready at their stop five minutes before the anticipated bus arrival time. Also, just talk with your kids, maybe your students would be at the end of the driveway or maybe it’s a community stop, talk to them about their behavior when they’re out there, no horseplay, don’t be out around the road, stay back on the sidewalk if it’s a community stop, those kinds of things.”

In Washington, at the middle school the new parent drop-off lane is on Jefferson Street. There will be a four-way stop at Jefferson and 4th. This is to alleviate traffic on 4th.

Harden also advises, when you see a bus with its yellow lights activated prepare to slow down. If a bus has its red lights activated and stop arm extended, then traffic going both directions needs to stop. The Iowa legislature unanimously adopted Kadyn’s law increasing the penalties for unlawful passing of a school bus. The law was in response to the death of 7-year-old Kadyn Jade Halverson. She was killed when she was crossing the road to get on a school bus and was hit by a pickup truck. The first offense for unlawful passing of a school bus is a 30-day license suspension, a fine between $250 and $675, and up to 30 days in jail.