Tenn. School Bus Tragedy: No Mass. Law, But Some Towns Have Seat Belts
BOSTON (CBS) -- The tragedy in Tennessee has renewed the debate over whether there should be a mandatory requirement for seat belts on school buses.
Here in Massachusetts, several attempts to push such bills through the legislature have failed.
State Representative Antonio Cabral of New Bedford, the sponsor of one of the bills, told WBZ-TV, "This is common sense legislation. This is public safety legislation."
Cabral told WBZ that the School Transportation Association of Massachusetts (S.T.A.M.) has opposed requiring seat belts on buses, citing issues such as expense and liability for school bus drivers. Officials from S.T.A.M. did not return our calls on Tuesday.
Newton is one community that does have seat belts on buses. When one Newton parent heard most school districts don't belt the kids in, she was shocked, adding "Hopefully what happened in Chattanooga, the silver lining will be changes."
Framingham is another Massachusetts town that has school buses equipped with seat belts. Framingham installed seat belts on buses several years ago to give students the choice of using them. Since the issue has sparked controversial debate in the past, the local school administration stopped short of forcing students to buckle up.