The Herricks, Great Neck and Sewanhaka school districts are the...

The Herricks, Great Neck and Sewanhaka school districts are the latest to be involved in the BusPatrol America program.  Credit: Kendall Rodriguez

Drivers in three more North Hempstead Town school districts who drive past school buses that have a stop sign deployed will start getting tickets this month, bringing the number of town districts participating in the safety program to five.

The town authorized agreements between BusPatrol America — a Virginia-based vendor that uses artificial intelligence and cameras installed in buses to produce images of passing drivers — and the Herricks, Great Neck and Sewanhaka school districts during a board meeting last week.

The Roslyn and Port Washington districts have been participating in the program since Jan. 1.

North Hempstead is the last of Nassau County's three towns to partner with BusPatrol, whose practices raised questions as part of a Newsday investigation last fall. 

“Before anything else, I’m a mom. So I know firsthand how parents feel and how we worry about our kids. It’s getting harder and harder to protect them,” Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement. “If there are ways to discourage reckless driving and prevent tragedies for our kids and our families, that’s a good thing.”

First-time offenders will get a $250 ticket, with the cost rising to $275 for a second offense and $300 for a third, according to state law.

It is illegal for drivers in New York to drive past a school bus while the bus is stopped for the purpose of dropping off or picking up passengers and its red lights are flashing.

The town first executed an agreement with BusPatrol in July 2022, but it wasn’t until last July that it formalized an agreement with Nassau County to prosecute the violations. It had planned to launch a 30-day warning period in the fall, but a lack of buy-in from school districts delayed that.

Roslyn and Port Washington were the lone districts in the town to opt in before the end of 2024. The town went forward with a warning period for motorists in those districts from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31.

The Herricks, Great Neck and Sewanhaka school districts will not have a warning period.

“We welcome the addition of these school districts to the program as it further strengthens the safety of students who depend on school buses to get them to and from their classes,” BusPatrol spokesperson Gary Lewi said.“It is important to remember that this technology is meant to change driver behavior when approaching buses with their stop arms deployed and red lights flashing.”

The town will get 55% of revenue generated, while BusPatrol will receive 45%, according to the July 2022 resolution. A chunk of the paid tickets will go to Nassau County, said town spokesperson Umberto Mignardi. The county gets $18 from offenders who plead guilty, and $36 from offenders who initially plead not guilty but then plead guilty after a judge’s ruling or entering into a plea deal following prosecutor negotiations.

Some have cast doubt on the program’s intended effect. A Newsday investigation found that more than 70% of the school bus camera tickets issued in Suffolk County in 2023 were on streets that students did not cross. The county entered into a contract with BusPatrol in 2021 to install cameras and manage its bus stop-arm program. 

Legis. Steven Englebright (D-East Setauket) told Newsday in November that the “program really needs an overhaul.”

“Is it trying to save lives and prevent accidents or is it trying to have a game of 'gotcha' in order to raise revenues?” Englebright said then.

The town will be using part-time bay constables, part of its department of public safety, to review the footage, according to officials. Tom McDonough, union president of the town’s Civil Service Employees Association Unit 7555, said during the board meeting Wednesday he planned to file paperwork to challenge the town's decision to not hire full-time employees for the roles.

“It sounds like the town wants to eliminate union titles, and union positions, and go strictly part-time,” McDonough said. “Not going to happen.” 

Drivers in three more North Hempstead Town school districts who drive past school buses that have a stop sign deployed will start getting tickets this month, bringing the number of town districts participating in the safety program to five.

The town authorized agreements between BusPatrol America — a Virginia-based vendor that uses artificial intelligence and cameras installed in buses to produce images of passing drivers — and the Herricks, Great Neck and Sewanhaka school districts during a board meeting last week.

The Roslyn and Port Washington districts have been participating in the program since Jan. 1.

North Hempstead is the last of Nassau County's three towns to partner with BusPatrol, whose practices raised questions as part of a Newsday investigation last fall. 

“Before anything else, I’m a mom. So I know firsthand how parents feel and how we worry about our kids. It’s getting harder and harder to protect them,” Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement. “If there are ways to discourage reckless driving and prevent tragedies for our kids and our families, that’s a good thing.”

First-time offenders will get a $250 ticket, with the cost rising to $275 for a second offense and $300 for a third, according to state law.

It is illegal for drivers in New York to drive past a school bus while the bus is stopped for the purpose of dropping off or picking up passengers and its red lights are flashing.

The town first executed an agreement with BusPatrol in July 2022, but it wasn’t until last July that it formalized an agreement with Nassau County to prosecute the violations. It had planned to launch a 30-day warning period in the fall, but a lack of buy-in from school districts delayed that.

Roslyn and Port Washington were the lone districts in the town to opt in before the end of 2024. The town went forward with a warning period for motorists in those districts from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31.

The Herricks, Great Neck and Sewanhaka school districts will not have a warning period.

“We welcome the addition of these school districts to the program as it further strengthens the safety of students who depend on school buses to get them to and from their classes,” BusPatrol spokesperson Gary Lewi said.“It is important to remember that this technology is meant to change driver behavior when approaching buses with their stop arms deployed and red lights flashing.”

The town will get 55% of revenue generated, while BusPatrol will receive 45%, according to the July 2022 resolution. A chunk of the paid tickets will go to Nassau County, said town spokesperson Umberto Mignardi. The county gets $18 from offenders who plead guilty, and $36 from offenders who initially plead not guilty but then plead guilty after a judge’s ruling or entering into a plea deal following prosecutor negotiations.

Some have cast doubt on the program’s intended effect. A Newsday investigation found that more than 70% of the school bus camera tickets issued in Suffolk County in 2023 were on streets that students did not cross. The county entered into a contract with BusPatrol in 2021 to install cameras and manage its bus stop-arm program. 

Legis. Steven Englebright (D-East Setauket) told Newsday in November that the “program really needs an overhaul.”

“Is it trying to save lives and prevent accidents or is it trying to have a game of 'gotcha' in order to raise revenues?” Englebright said then.

The town will be using part-time bay constables, part of its department of public safety, to review the footage, according to officials. Tom McDonough, union president of the town’s Civil Service Employees Association Unit 7555, said during the board meeting Wednesday he planned to file paperwork to challenge the town's decision to not hire full-time employees for the roles.

“It sounds like the town wants to eliminate union titles, and union positions, and go strictly part-time,” McDonough said. “Not going to happen.” 

FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.  Credit: Newsday/File Footage; Photo Credit: AP Photo/Steven Day, Bebeto Matthews; Getty Images

'A different situation at every airport' FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.  Credit: Newsday/File Footage; Photo Credit: AP Photo/Steven Day, Bebeto Matthews; Getty Images

'A different situation at every airport' FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.