WORCESTER, Mass. - A new bill signed into law allows communities to install cameras on school buses to record drivers who fail to stop during student pick-up and drop-offs.

The goal is to help local police enforce existing laws which currently go underenforced, according to Senator Michael Moore. 

The camera systems will take photos and videos of vehicles in violation of the law, but it will be up to police to review the footage and decide whether a fine should be issued. 

Busses equipped with the cameras must be clearly marked. 

“Stop arm cameras will be mounted on the side of the school bus where the stop sign comes out” said Michael Freeman, the Director of Transportation for Worcester Public Schools. “And it will use, algorithms and artificial technology to grab pictures of cars as they go through the stop sign and it will capture that information. It'll send it to the police department, and the police department will be able to review the information and then send out citations based off that information. Just last week, we had a driver that was offloading students in a car came by and actually took off the stop sign and ripped it off the side of the bus.” 

The bill was signed earlier this month.

Fines collected from violations will be allocated to the city or town in which the violation occurred.

A resolution was passed by the Worcester School Committee in November 2022 calling for local control over this issue.