​August 21, 2018 – Yesterday, Attorney General Chris Carr issued information concerning a change in Georgia law, regarding House Bill 978 and passing a stopped school bus on a highway divided by a turn lane. View that information here and the Attorney General’s statement here.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ statement is below:

“This has been a point of confusion since HB 978 was signed. I appreciate Attorney General Carr’s clarification.

In my role as leader of the Georgia Department of Education, I maintain my position that this change in law does not reflect best practices to ensure student safety, and could endanger Georgia’s kids as they travel to and from school.

As GaDOE provides training to transportation personnel, we will continue to emphasize safe loading and unloading practices at school bus stops. More than ever, students need to be reminded they should never cross more than two lanes of traffic, including the lane occupied by the bus, at a school bus stop.

In the upcoming legislative session, I will urge our state lawmakers to reverse this change. We cannot put our students’ safety at risk.”​