St. Johns County school buses get safety upgrades

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — School buses in St. Johns County got a big safety upgrade over the summer, just in time for the new school year.

New 800-megahertz radios have been installed on every school bus in the district, providing a direct connection to law enforcement in an emergency. It’s the same system used by St. Johns County firefighters and deputies.

“It’s all interconnected. This completes the puzzle, in my mind,” said St. Johns County Schools director of transportation Al Pantano.

Bus drivers also have the option of pushing an orange emergency button, which immediately connects them to emergency services and lets dispatchers know which bus needs help.

“By hitting that emergency button, we also have the ability to activate the mic live, so whatever’s going on, without the operator grabbing hold of that mic, (it) can be transmitted live to us so we can listen in,” said Pantano.

Dispatcher

Pantano said the radios have no dead spots in the county and static is a thing of the past.

“The old radio system that we had was based on a single antenna system,” said Pantano. “And that was it. This new system is based on a 12-antenna-based system that’s throughout the county.”

The radios were paid for by the county’s half-cent sales tax increase, which became effective in January.

“These are different times than when I was young,” said St. Johns County father Crispin Zinsmeister.

He said safety during the school day is a big priority.

“Oh, it’s all important. We want to make sure that our kids get an education and no trauma with it,” said Zinsmeister.

St. Johns County School District superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner said the district is also using the money from the county’s tax increase for another safety upgrade: creating a single point of entry for all schools, so everyone coming and going from the campus is funneled through the same place.

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