Students will head back to class in the City of Sarasota on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.  As classes resume, the Sarasota Police Department wants to remind drivers there is a zero-tolerance policy for speeding in school zones and passing school buses that have stop signs extended as students board or leave a school bus.

Safety tips to keep in mind as students head back to class in the City of Sarasota:

• Students heading back to class means increased traffic on city roads.  Please allow extra travel time and watch for other cars, pedestrians, children, bicyclists, and school buses.
  
  
• Buckle up!  Make sure all passengers and drivers in a car, especially children, are buckled up.  In Florida, passengers under 18 years of age must wear a seatbelt or be restrained in a child car seat.
  
  
• Pay attention to crossing guards and obey school zones.  All school zones in the City of Sarasota are 15 miles per hour.  Watch for students and parents who will be walking to and from school. 
  
  
• It is against the law to use a wireless communications device in a handheld manner in any active school zone. 
  
  
• Cars must stop for all school buses when the side stop sign is out and red lights are flashing, even if the bus is on the opposite side of the street.  The only exception is a raised median, more than four feet wide, that divides the street. 
  
  
• Fines for speeding in a school zone and passing a school bus can range from $156 to $456.  Sarasota Police officers encourage drivers to slow down and allow plenty of time to get to and from their destination safely.
  
  

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