You’ll be seeing more school buses on the roads these next two weeks. In Mishawaka, where classes started back today, officials again reminded drivers to cool their engines.
Mishawaka city, police, fire and school officials gathered Wednesday at the city’s newest fire station on McKinley Avenue. Their message was a simple but important one. Slow down and be more aware.
“Just want to inform the public to cool your engines," said Mishawaka Police Lt. Bruce Faltynski. "School’s back in session. That’s just not automobiles, that’s attitude, so as you’re out on the roadway we just ask that you slow down, that you watch for kids, expect more traffic, pedestrians and vehicles, and also to put the phone down.”
Officials also urged students to be careful when walking to and from school with their phones. In May 16-year-old Victor Smith-Moreland was killed by a train at the Merrifield Avenue crossing as he was walking home from school. Witnesses told police he had been focused on his phone.
School City of Mishawaka Superintendent Theodore Stevens said the state-mandated no-phones-in-class policy was a success last year but students need to also be careful after school.
“Just because they don’t have their cell phone during the day necessarily, they need to be conscious of their surroundings and what’s going on on their walk home as well," Stevens said.
