HERMANN — An increase in the number of motorists failing to stop for school buses loading and unloading students has Gasconade County R-1 School District administrators stepping up efforts to make the public aware of the need for caution — and issue a reminder of state law requiring autos to stop.

Assistant Superintendent Leslie Lause, whose duties include serving as the district’s director of transportation, told the Gasconade County Republican that the number of stop-arm violations is becoming a concern for bus drivers and district administrators.

According to a posting on the R-1 website, incidents of vehicles continuing to pass a bus when the lights are flashing and the stop-sign arm is out are becoming more frequent. And they’re not occurring in the more-remote parts of the district.

“Unfortunately, the most dangerous miles we travel are the ones right here in the town of Hermann, especially on Market Street,” the district said in the website posting.

“The number of stop-arm violations has drastically increased this year,” the posting said. “We have had as many as four reports in one day,” it added.

Drivers, supported by video that shows the violations, call into the district when they experience a violation, Lause said.

“We have cameras on every bus now,” the administrator said.

The incidents are reported to law enforcement agencies, she added, noting that R-1 has developed a good relationship with all five agencies it works with — four county sheriff’s departments and the Hermann Police Department.

“Our local law enforcement has been great to work with,” she said.

In an interview Tuesday morning with the Republican, Lause said the district recently experienced the first violations in Montgomery County. The R-1 district includes portions of Gasconade, Franklin, Montgomery and Warren counties. Lause thinks the number of violations on Market Street is because of the middle turn lane. But even though students might be boarding or leaving a bus away from middle-lane traffic, motorists in that middle lane must stop, Lause said, pointing to state law.

As for stop-arm violations in general, the assistant superintendent said she doesn’t know what the cause is.

“I don’t know if people are distracted, they don’t know (they have to stop) or that they don’t care,” she said in the interview. “Everytime there is a flashing light (on a bus), there are kids moving,” she added.

The hazard posed by stop-arm violations simply adds to the responsibility of the drivers to keep their young charges safe getting to and from school.

“Our drivers are doing a wonderful job, making sure our kids get picked up and taken home safely,” Lause said. “Our Number One Job is to keep kids safe. We need the community to ensure we’re getting the kids to school and back home safely.”

In terms of square miles covered, the R-1 District is the 13th-largest among the state’s 525 school districts, covering 370 square miles. The district’s buses travel 1,000 miles each day. Gasconade County R-2 School District is close behind R-1 as the 15th-largest district, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).