Oct. 30, 2025
KICKAPOO, Wis. — At a press conference at Kickapoo Schools earlier this week, Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson has announced the immediate formation of a multi-agency task force aimed at combating a concerning rise in illegal school bus passing violations. Torgerson directed his team to establish the School Bus Safety Task Force and begin work immediately, following meetings held earlier this week.
The task force was created in response to an increase in violations, which Sheriff Torgerson said was “incident driven” and included some incidents described as “flagrant”. The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office documented 25 school bus passing complaints in 2024. These incidents occurred across various districts, including five in Cashton, four in the DeSoto district, three in the Kickapoo District, four in La Farge, one in Hillsboro, five in Viroqua, and three in Westby. Transportation officials have noted the severity of the problem, stating that this is not just a Kickapoo issue but an area-wide and nationwide problem. The situation is getting worse, as the Kickapoo district alone has recorded more red light violations already this year than they had for a whole previous year, and they had not even reached Halloween yet.
Chelsey Clark is a parent, community member, and village trustee in Readstown who recently posted a video on social media showing vehicles passing a stopped buss with its lights on near Readstown to highlight the problem.
The mission of the task force is to enhance safety through both enforcement and public education, ensuring accountability for those endangering students. The strategy involves deploying additional officers to monitor school bus routes and catch drivers who illegally pass stopped buses. This enforcement includes placing officers directly on school buses to observe and report violations immediately. The sheriff’s office will focus concentrated observation, patrol, and enforcement efforts in well-documented problem areas. The initiative will also develop a rigorous driver safety program that could be used as a diversion tool, and pursue aggressive public education efforts utilizing promotional videos and social media campaigns.
This collaborative initiative includes the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wisconsin State Patrol. Sheriff Torgerson also plans to contact every district administrator and transportation supervisor in every district that is within or overlaps Vernon County.
Transportation Director Jeff Wendorf elaborated on the visual signals drivers must heed when approaching a stopped bus. He explained that if the speed limit is over 45 miles per hour, such as on a State Road or County Road, drivers will see the amber warning lights turn on at least 300 feet ahead of the stop. This should serve as a notice for drivers to slow down because the red lights are coming quickly. As soon as the bus comes to a complete stop and is totally stopped, the red lights come on, the crossing gate comes out, and the stop arm extends. Wendorf stressed that this is the required time drivers must stop, emphasizing that state law mandates stopping when the red lights are on. Once the students are safely boarded or dropped off, the red lights are shut off, and the bus proceeds.
Sheriff Torgerson emphasized that ease and speed of reporting are critical to the task force’s success and stressed the importance of accountability for violators who endanger student safety.
“I want to make it very easy to get the violations reported, and I want it reported immediately. If the bus has a two-way radio system, I would like them to call their headquarters and notify us right away if there’s a violation,” Torgerson said.
District Administrator Kim Johnson highlighted the severity of the offense and noted that student safety is “non negotiable” and that the effort is a community responsibility.
“When a driver passes a stopped school bus or disregards those flashing lights, they are not just breaking the law, they are putting a child’s life at risk. One moment of distraction, one poor decision, can change lives forever,” Johnson stated.
Jeff Wendorf underscored the vulnerability of the children being transported, referring to them as “precious cargo,” and the minimal amount of time drivers are asked to wait.
“I cannot emphasize enough how important and vital it is these students are precious, they are precious cargo, and it would be just awful to have anything ever happen to them the minute or less that you have to wait for a student to get on the bus, cross the road, to get home. Whatever is immeasurable, it’s time that you must spend,” Wendorf said.
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