Roughly half of all states require school buses to be equipped with crossing control arms. According to the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association, a bill will be proposed next year to better protect school kids with these safety devices.

The push, which MSBOA shared with its members in its May newsletter, follows the March death of a 6-year-old boy who was struck by his school bus. Currently, Minnesota is one of a half-dozen states that only have regulations giving school districts the option of having the safety gate that must extend at least 70 inches from the school bus bumper when fully extended, according to the National School Bus Standards and Specifications guidebook passed by the National Congress on School Transportation.

The crossing gates are designed to ensure that the bus drivers can see all students who have just de-boarded and who are crossing in front of the bus.

This month at NCST, which meets May 16-19 in Warrensburng, Mo., the Bus Body & Chassis writing committee will introduce a language change that would recommend mandatory crossing gates on all school buses nationwide.