ASSEMBLY, No. 1661

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED MARCH 4, 1996

 

 

By Assemblyman ARNONE

 

 

An Act concerning pupil transportation and supplementing chapter 3B of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

    a. Current regulations on pupil transportation adopted by the Department of Education require that side windows on school buses be capable of opening a minimum of nine inches.

    b. Several accidents, including one recent fatality, could have been prevented by restricting the size of the window opening to make it more difficult for children to extend their limbs or heads outside of the school bus.

    c. Since current law requires an ample number of emergency school bus exits, including two emergency roof exits, two side emergency window exits, and an emergency door exit, the addition of window stops on windows that are not part of emergency exits will not reduce the required level of school bus safety in an emergency.

 

    2. Each full side window of a school bus, other than a push out emergency exit window, shall be equipped with a stop or otherwise modified or manufactured to permit it to be opened no more than six inches in the vertical direction. As used in this act, "school bus" shall mean any bus used to transport children to and from school, regardless of when it was put into service.

 

    3. This act shall take effect immediately and be applicable to buses transporting children in the school year beginning in September, 1997.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill requires that window stops be installed on the side windows of all school buses used to transport pupils or that the windows be otherwise modified to prevent them from being lowered more than six inches. This requirement will be applicable to all school buses, regardless of when placed in service, beginning with the 1997-98 school year.

    The bill does not require window stops on side windows which are required to be pushed out as emergency exits.

    The requirements of the bill will apply to all school buses used to transport pupils to and from school.

 

 

                      

 

Requires window stops on side windows of school buses.