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WEST JORDAN — The Jordan School District sent out a word of warning to drivers on the eve of its first official day back to school.
On Tuesday morning, over 58,000 students returned to 69 different schools in the district.
"Everybody is excited! Everybody is refreshed," said Buddy Alger, the principal at Heartland Elementary School. "This is probably one of my favorite days of the year."
But it can also be a very dangerous time for kids, and that's why Paul Berjera, Jordan School District's director of transportation, is asking drivers to pay attention to the red flashing lights and the extended stop signs on school buses.
He says drivers are not stopping and going around them far too often, and he has the video to prove it.
"I think people are in a hurry, and they just want to get from point A to point B," Berjera told KSL TV.
The district provided video from various school buses that show drivers ignoring the red flashing lights and stop signs.
Time and time again, you see the vehicles not stopping and going around the bus. One driver even goes on the passenger side of the bus, where the kids come out the door.
"Yeah, that is very alarming," Berjera said of the videos.
Unfortunately, he said last school year. It seemed only to get worse rather than better.
"Please, in the morning and the afternoon, when you see those yellow school buses, just use caution when you are out on the roads," he said. "Right now, we are noticing it is happening more frequently, unfortunately."
Matt Alvernaz, the district's safety coordinator, is also very concerned about what he is seeing.
"We leave our kids, and we trust that they are coming back better than they were — safe," he said. "It's a community involvement, and the key thing I can't stress enough is patience."
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