According to the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, passing a school bus with red flashing lights could total more than a $200 fine for one violation.

In his 31 years at Long Beach School District, Sambo said though new transportation issues have risen, the main one has stayed the same. “We have to make sure we can transport each child safely to and from school,” he said. “But we also monitor bullying situations and train our drivers how to recognize that and report it to administrators. We also always have safe bus stops, equipment and must make sure the programs we provide busing for, such as school trips or athletic games, are done in a safe fashion.”

Sophie Codispodo, a transportation supervisor for the Lawrence School District, said her main concerns are safety and bus routes. “The number of children we have going to non-public schools is increasing as we live in an Orthodox area,” she said. “We try to give them the best service we possibly can but it gets difficult because we have a lot of requests for closer bus stops and kids are scattered across the community. We rely on our drivers to get kids to school as safely as they can.”

For more information, visit the Nassau County chapter of NYAPT at www.nassaunyapt.org.