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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.500 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:20010327 Primary Sponsor:Pinckney All Sponsors:Pinckney Drafted Document Number:l:\council\bills\gjk\20267sd01.doc Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Finance Committee 06 SF Subject:School bus safety communication system, Education Department to pilot test program in districts; Telecommunications History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ Senate 20010327 Introduced, read first time, 06 SF referred to Committee Versions of This Bill
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-67-465 SO AS TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONTRACT WITH PRIVATE SECTOR VENDORS TO PILOT TEST IN THREE SELECTED SCHOOL DISTRICTS DURING SCHOOL YEAR 2001-2002 A SCHOOL BUS SAFETY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND PROGRAM, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL BE EXPANDED STATEWIDE BEGINNING WITH SCHOOL YEAR 2002-2003 CONSISTENT WITH FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-67-465. (A) The General Assembly finds:
(1) options are available from the private sector for a telecommunications safety program and systems for school-based applications;
(2) existing technology can provide an end-to-end (i.e., before, during, and after their home-school-home trip) communications and safety solution for school bus riders and walkers;
(3) this program includes as standard equipment a school bus pager device capable of providing advance notice to users of the presence of their school bus within a one-half mile radius of a predetermined bus stop with a series of beeps and blinks;
(4) the system incorporates a 'multiple beeper' alert methodology (beeps and blinks advance from one to four to indicate the bus is getting closer) that has been proven to adequately prompt users to respond in a timely manner to get out to the bus stop;
(5) the system is also capable of 'real-time' remotely locating and notifying an assigned adult about the presence of the school bus at school or a predetermined bus stop;
(6) the system is capable of identifying up to three children wearing tag devices and can alert up to three riders for each household;
(7) optionally, this program includes a bus-based RF transceiver that communicates with a home-based modem and a bus transponder wrist tag reader capable of reading a child wrist tag device when a child enters or exits through a bus door. RF transceiver also sends child identification information along with bus identification to each parent's home modem to confirm the presence of the child on the bus. Each home modem is capable of dialing multiple phone numbers to locate the adult assigned to receive the aforementioned confirmation;
(8) optionally, the system includes a wrist tag device capable of sounding a silent alarm to alert assigned adults to an emergency situation while a child is within three hundred feet of the home or school and during students' walk to school or to and from a predetermined bus stop;
(9) the wrist tag device includes as standard equipment, a wetness sensor helpful in notifying an assigned adult that a child is drowning;
(10) this program provides for the education of users (i.e., bus drivers, teachers, and parents) about proper and responsible equipment usage in order to maximize the effectiveness of the program.
(B) The Department of Education by contract with private sector vendors shall pilot test the school bus safety communication system referred to in subsection (A) in three selected school districts during school year 2001-2002 in conjunction with appropriate transportation officials of the local districts selected. The cost of the program as pilot tested in the three districts shall be paid by the Department of Education. If the pilot tested program is successful during school year 2001-2002 in the opinion of the department, it shall expand the program statewide beginning with school year 2002-2003 consistent with funding provided by the General Assembly in the annual general appropriations act."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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