Key West The Newspaper

Sheriff’s Office prepared for the beginning of School

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will be out in force next week guarding the safety of children returning to school.

“We take school related safety very seriously,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “We have a no tolerance policy for people who choose to speed in school zones, and for those who illegally pass school buses. We will be out in force beginning next week in both marked and unmarked cars watching for violators.”

School Resource Officers and School Crossing Guards will return to their posts Wednesday at various schools throughout the Keys. In addition, Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement deputies will patrol school zones in the county to make sure drivers realize school is back in session. Road Patrol deputies will also be spending any free time they have concentrating on areas surrounding schools and school bus stops and they will be writing tickets to anyone not obeying the speed limits in school zones or those illegally passing school buses.

Children and parents should also remember: if a child rides a bicycle to school, Florida law requires anyone under the age of 16 to wear a helmet. A violation of this requirement can result in a $25 fine.

Anyone driving in the county next week should make an extra effort to watch out for students, who may not be paying attention to traffic in their excitement about returning to school. Be especially careful around residential neighborhoods, areas with bus stops, and around schools themselves.