More than a decade after it started exploring a program, Fairfax County is finally ready to introduce school bus cameras designed to catch illegally passing drivers.
The county government and Fairfax County Public Schools will install stop-arm camera systems on 50 buses for the program’s initial launch, which will begin with a 30-day warning period on April 9.
For the first 30 days, drivers who pass the equipped school buses while students are boarding or getting off will only receive a warning. However, starting May 12, violations will lead to $250 citations that will be sent to the vehicle’s registered owner by mail.
“We are grateful for the close collaboration with our Fairfax County colleagues as we work together to ensure drivers follow the law when in the presence of children and school buses,” Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch said in a press release. “Our new stop arm camera initiative will remind motorists of their responsibility to drive responsibly and keep students safe.”
At the request of then-Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, Fairfax County and FCPS staff began collaborating on a potential stop-arm camera program in October 2013, a couple of years after the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation giving localities the authority to install video-monitoring systems on school buses.
However, the program encountered numerous delays over the next decade, from legal questions that required additional state legislation to contract negotiations with a vendor that stalled when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Frustrated by a lack of movement, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to FCPS in February 2023 asking why it was taking so long to implement the cameras. That summer, the board finally approved an agreement with the Fairfax County Police Department allowing it to participate in the program, which is being funded by FCPS.
In a statement, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay stressed that the goal of the program is to improve safety, not generate revenue.
According to the county, a white paper compiled by a School Safety and Security Council in 2017 found that FCPS school bus drivers reported a collective 1,453 violations by passing drivers in a single day.
“The goal is to change driver behavior and prevent the dangerous act of passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing while children are loading or unloading,” McKay said.
Under Virginia law, drivers are required to halt when a “clearly marked” school bus stops to let children on or off, and they must remain stopped until all students are clear of the road or driveway and the school bus resumes moving.
The stop-arm camera systems, which are being provided by the Arizona-based software company Verra Mobility, get activated once the school bus extends its stop sign and starts flashing its lights. If a passing vehicle is detected within the designated enforcement zone, the camera will automatically record video and images of the vehicle, including its license plate.
The recorded video and photos will then be reviewed by the FCPD, which can issue a citation or warning if a violation is confirmed. Fines can be paid online, by phone or by mail.
The 50 school buses slated to get the cameras with the program’s initial rollout represent just a fraction of the more than 1,600 buses in FCPS’ fleet. According to the county, the school system and police department will evaluate the effectiveness of the technology and administrative processes before determining whether to expand its use.
By introducing stop-arm cameras, Fairfax County is following in the footsteps of neighboring jurisdictions like Arlington and Falls Church that have had similar programs in place for years.
The county has also been working to expand its speed camera network in an effort to improve student safety, particularly after fatal crashes that killed Oakton High School students and a Justice High School student in 2022.
Launched as a pilot in February 2023, the speed camera program currently has nine active sites. The county announced last August that another 10 locations would get cameras by the end of 2024, but the program website still lists those installations as “in progress.”
