Residents and trustees pressed the East Ramapo Central School District on school-bus safety at the board meeting, citing repeated observations of speeding, children standing on buses and drivers using aftermarket horns.

The comments came from a public speaker who said the problem is concentrated "in the village of Spring Valley mostly" and urged the district and local police to act. The speaker warned: "We can't have buses flying through neighborhoods, flying around corners blindly and just expecting to pull out on the road and do whatever they want."

In response, district officials said the district is taking multiple steps. Superintendent Mister Ziccardo told the meeting that the transportation department is "severely" understaffed and that proposed staffing increases and other responses will appear in the superintendent's budget presentation this month.

Board member Mister Gruber noted that many contracted bus companies already have on-board cameras, and district staff expanded on how the systems work. A transportation staff member explained that cameras record continuously and that recorded footage can be requested by bus number and time stamp; the system also generates enforcement photos when vehicles illegally pass stopped buses. The staff member said "90% of the buses have it by now" and that recordings outside and inside the bus are stored and can be retrieved when a complaint is filed.

Officials said the district and its Transportation Committee are reviewing a state safety report and meeting with contractors and nonpublic‑school directors to improve registration and procedures. A staff speaker said the district plans to insert camera and safety requirements in future bid documents so that any contractor seeking to operate routes will be required to meet those standards.

Trustees and staff discussed accountability for drivers. One trustee said the district lacks a written board policy that defines progressive discipline for drivers because drivers are employees of contractor companies rather than district employees; staff said the district can, however, include specific behavioral and removal requirements in future contracts and has on at least one occasion requested a contractor remove a driver from service immediately.

The board scheduled a Transportation Committee meeting for the next day to brief members on an ongoing safety report and to work on next‑year procurement language and operational guidelines.

The board did not adopt new board policy or take a formal vote on contract language at the meeting; staff described next steps and the committee timetable.