Wall Township parent urges board to back bills enabling enforcement of stopped-school-bus violations

John Reo, a Wall Township parent, told the Board of Education during public comment on May 19 that drivers are frequently illegally passing stopped school buses while children are boarding and exiting, and urged the board and community to support two New Jersey bills he said would help enforce stop-arm violations.

"These are not isolated incidences," Reo said, describing repeated observations at his own bus stop and by other parents. He cited a Woodbridge pilot program that equipped buses with cameras and documented about 2,800 illegal passings in three months, and said that data motivated Assembly Bill A-3887 and Senate Bill S-1469. "I encourage you to contact Assemblywoman Lisa Swan, chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and ask her to support this bill," he said.

Reo thanked the Wall Township Police Department and Chief O. Howerin for collaborating with parents, but said police cannot be everywhere and described the bills as a tool to allow summonses based on recorded stop-arm violations. He urged community members to contact legislators to move the bills through the legislative process.

Reo also raised a separate concern about vendor data governance, requesting the district conduct a standard review of student data privacy, vendor governance, and cybersecurity protections associated with Lifetouch (the district’s student photography vendor). "I have not heard whether the board plans to review that request, and I would appreciate a follow-up or an update when possible," he said.

The board did not take formal action on the public comment items during the meeting. Public comment concluded and the meeting proceeded to the superintendent’s update.

Next steps: The public comment period closed with the expectation that parents continue to work with police and legislators; no formal board directive or vote on the bills or a Lifetouch review was recorded in the meeting minutes.