Springfield School District 186 now has a new way of keeping children safe going to and from school.
Henson Robinson Company is partnering with a company called Bus Gates. Our own Shop foreman, Derek Seimer, has been instrumental in the design and manufacturing of this product. He has done an outstanding job collaborating with the owners and developing various templates for these extended bus arms. They continue to move forward and Illinois has already passed a bill approving this patented product along with other states. What a great mission to be apart of in helping develop a product that will be instrumental in enhancing the safety of our children.
The purpose is to better alert drivers and make dropping off and picking up students more visible, but this new feature may make District 186 a trendsetter for other schools in Illinois.
“In a day when we see more people run red lights, more people use bike lanes, it is imperative that we do every single thing we can to provide for the safety of our children who are going to school," said Brad Schaive business manager for LIUNA 477.
“We have 180 different bus routes that we run every day to get students to our schools safely, and so with that comes a huge responsibility and it’s partnerships like these that really help us take it a next step and be the safest that it possibly can be," said Jennifer Gill, superintendent of District 186.
This process started after Governor Pritzker signed a bill to allow these signs to be put on back in July, with Senator Doris Turner sponsoring the bill.
“We are the first district in downstate Illinois, outside of I-80 to have these on our buses and that's phenomenal. That we are pacesetters, we are trailblazers in safety for our children and that cannot go unnoticed," said Sen. Doris Turner (D) Springfield.
The new stop arm extensions will be installed on 20 district school buses thanks to a $10,000 donation from the Laborers International Union of North America.