KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen Independent School District partnered with the City of Killeen to raise awareness of school zone speed limits and school bus safety through PSA’s and new school zone signs.
The new school zone signs with flashing lights and radars are in place at several high-traffic locations.
The radar speed signs, which flash the speed of ongoing vehicles and collect traffic data, are in place in four locations in the city.
Those include the zones around Peebles Elementary School, Live Oak Ridge Middle School, Killeen Elementary School and Manor Middle School.
"Our children are just getting used to getting back into the swing of things and people around are not used to them being on the roads, so please put the cell phones down, watch your speed in the school zones and respect the bus," Taina Maya said, the district's spokeswoman.
Last year a Killeen ISD middle school student was hit by a truck while crossing in front of a school bus and then was airlifted to a hospital.
The district wants its employees, parents, community members, and even visitors to understand the laws surrounding school zone safety to avoid any incidents.
"We really we hope this is an educational campaign. It's important to Killeen Police, Harker Heights Police, Nolanville Police, and Bell County Sheriffs Office to make sure that we're doing everything we can together as a community to support our students to and from the school," Maya said.
School Safety Director Chuck Kelley said the new signs are a pilot program that will allow the city and school district to collect data in an effort to mitigate speed and other dangerous driving conditions.
The first day of school for KISD was August 16