The Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law, inspired by the tragic death of Korean American special needs student Paul Lee after he was left unattended on a bus last year, was approved by the state Assembly on June 13.
The Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law, or SB 1072, would require all school buses in California to be equipped with an operational child-safety alarm system that prompts the driver to inspect all seats before leaving the bus. When the ignition of the bus is turned off, an alarm will also go off. In order to silence the alarm, bus drivers will need to move to the back of the bus to switch it off, thereby detecting any remaining children.
At the assembly, Lee’s mother Eun Ha Lee recalled how excited her son had been, on the morning of his death on Sept. 11, 2015, after she’d bought him a new shirt for his birthday. “With his big smile Paul got on the bus and we waved goodbye to each other as we did every school day,” Eun Ha Lee said.
She became worried when her son did not return home from school, as he usually did. Eun Ha Lee immediately called the school, which said Paul had been absent that day. When she told them that her son had been on the bus that morning, the school informed the bus company of the missing teen. Lee, 19, was found and pronounced dead at a Whittier Union High School District parking lot, hours after he was left inside a bus during a heat wave.
The bus driver, Armando Ramirez, was booked at the Whittier Police jail for dependent abuse. The bus company said, in a discovery document, that the conduct of the bus driver was the cause of death.
“No family should have to say goodbye to a child who died while riding on a school bus. I ask for everyone’s support, interest and concern as we raise our voice in Paul’s name to make sure that this senseless tragedy will not happen again to another child or family,” Eun Ha Lee said during her emotional testimony to the assembly.
Under SB 1072, bus drivers must obtain a Special Driver Certificate which requires special training and instruction as well as an annual renewal. Included in this training are formal procedures to check the back of the bus. SB 1071 also requires drivers to inform the DMV when a child is left on a bus unattended.
Among those opposed to the bill were members of the California Bus Association. Josh Pane, legislative advocate of the association, proposed two revisions to the committee’s amendments that would allow non-school bus coaches to be exempt from the bill if there is a chaperone on board, and only if there is a chaperone on board.
Pane said an estimated $7,000 is required to install the system on buses, totaling $88.8 million for all active buses in California.
Sen. Tony Mendoza, who represents District 32, where Paul Lee died, authored the bill. Mendoza said the revisions would allow buses to avoid the bill and also argued that installation of the system would only cost $150.
The bill was approved on a bipartisan vote. It now goes to the Assembly Education Committee for consideration.
“Knowing that this bill has been written in his name will put a smile on Paul’s face in heaven,” Eun Ha Lee said.
