HENRY COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Susan Burton
Communications Director
Paris, TN – As a driver, knowing when to stop for the school bus can be confusing, especially if you’re driving on the highway. The only time it is permissible to continue driving when a school bus has engaged its stop sign and lights, is when there is an unpaved median or barrier between a divided highway, at that point, only the vehicles behind the school bus must stop. The driver of a vehicle on a two-lane road or on a multi-lane road with a turning lane must stop in both directions when the red stop signs and lights are activated by the school bus driver.
Despite these traffic laws, the Henry County School System transportation supervisor, Melissa Hollingsworth receives an alarming number of violations reported by the school bus drivers. School bus drivers report vehicles fail to stop when they are loading and unloading children, reporting vehicles passing dangerously close to students who are walking to their homes.
Hollingsworth states that in a two-week period between April 7-23, 2025, over 70 cars were reported not stopping for the school bus lights and stop signs while loading and unloading students during the morning and afternoon routes. “I’m begging our community to be vigilant and obey traffic laws before a child gets hurt or killed!” exclaimed Hollingsworth.
Henry County Sheriff Josh Frey partners with the school system to improve bus safety. He states, “We will be increasing our school bus monitoring patrol, especially on routes determined to have higher frequencies of violations.” Consider this as you travel and stay alert to school bus stops and other traffic laws.