Statement from Senator Joseph Lagana on Joint Hearing on School Bus Safety

“The tragic accident in May involving a school bus carrying Paramus children is the worst nightmare for every parent. The images of the mangled bus are horrific and are difficult to look at. As we continue to grieve and look for answers, we must also focus on changes that can protect our school children. The joint hearing scheduled today between the Senate and the Assembly is about parents determined to ensure that no other mother or father will hear about such an event and not know for hours whether their child is safe.

“We must take a hard look at this tragedy and enact the change needed to prevent it from happening again. We also must require over-the-shoulder seat belts on school buses, improve the screening and testing process for school bus drivers and require more comprehensive bus manifests. The horror of that crash was compounded by the fact that parents did not know if their child was on the bus that was mangled beyond comprehension. That is unacceptable to me as a public servant and as a father.

“This is not political, but personal. I have children in the Paramus public school system. I am close with many of the families who had children on the buses that fatal day and I represent the East Brook community in the Senate. We must do everything we can to ensure such a tragedy never occurs again. We have an obligation to the victims and their families and to every parent who puts a child on a school bus every morning.”

Senator Joseph Lagana, D-Paramus, represents the 38th Legislative District.

The joint committee will meet at 10 a.m. in Committee Room 6, First Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ.

Audio of the meeting will be live streamed at: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.