With her chubby cheeks and soft, dark curls, 5-month-old Daniella Campos looks just like her big sister did at that age, her parents say.
But the sisters won't get to grow up together. In December, 5-year-old Karla Campos was struck by a car moments after stepping off of her Cobb County school bus. The kindergarten student died on the way to the hospital, her mother told the AJC. The woman who hit Karla was charged with vehicular homicide.
In a single school day, vehicles breeze past the stop signs on Cobb school buses about 1,100 times, says Rick Grisham, transportation director. Bus drivers who see violators are asked by police to get as much information on the vehicles as possible -- easier said than done when you're responsible for transporting 60 students safely.
A group of parents, educators and legislators want drivers to know that when it comes to school buses, it's not OK to disobey the laws. Yellow lights and the "stop" sign extended from buses are there for a reason. And with the use of digital cameras, bus drivers can help police track the impatient drivers who endanger the lives of children.
"My attention should be on the kids," said bus driver Frank Vineyard.
The Cobb district has purchased two camera systems that mount on buses, under the stop arm. The cameras, part of a recording system new bus models already have, record action on and off the bus. The cameras record the entire time the bus is on, and for five minutes after the engine is shut off. If a bus driver gets passed, he or she can hit a button to put a time stamp mark, making it easier to find on the camera system's hard drive. The vehicle's specifics, such as the make, color and tag number, can be reviewed later, and that information can be sent to police.
"I just love the catch these guys," said Vineyard, whose camera-equipped bus was passed by a sedan during his Wednesday morning route.
The current school budget crunch makes purchasing anything extra nearly impossible right now. But, if the state legislature were to approve stricter laws, and possibly fund some of the cameras, the fines from offenders would pay for additional cameras, Grisham said. A $600 fine would be split equally between the school system and the county, he said. Each camera mounted on a bus costs $250.
The problem is not isolated to Cobb County. School district leaders around the metro Atlanta area have similar tales, although not all had specific numbers on incidents.
"It happens every time our buses are running their route," said Jim Black, transportation director for Paulding County schools. His school district has made 131 reports to law enforcement this school year, but he estimates violations would number four times that amount.
Cherokee County school officials have filed 62 reports with the system's police department. That number doesn't include people stopped by law enforcement throughout the county.
But for bus drivers to file a report, they must have plenty of details.
"In order to make a report, we must have the color, make, model and complete tag number of the vehicle that passed the bus while the stop arm is deployed," Black said.
Two east Cobb mothers are leading a charge to keep children safe while boarding and exiting school buses. "Operation Stop Arm" has the support of state Rep. Don Parsons, according to Sheri Lewis and Mandi Call. Call's 5-year-old daughter was classmates with Karla Campos.
"I feel like she's safe once she get on the bus," Lewis said. "I just have to get her on there."
Lewis brings her video camera to the bus stop to catch violators, and Call has a strobe light to encourage drivers to slow down. Violators who are cited for violating school bus laws face fines and a court date. But until now, the work of catching the violators falls to police and bus drivers.
The group organized too late to appeal to legislators in the current session. But next year, they'll be ready. The group wants to educate all drivers to help keep students safe.
For the Campos family, nothing will bring their oldest child back. But there is comfort in knowing that the story of the inquisitive child who loved school will save lives.
"I'm angry because of what happened to my daughter," Martin Campos said.
Karla Campos only rode the school bus for eight days, her mother Gloria said. But in December, Gloria Campos couldn't drive immediately following Daniella's birth. Martin and Gloria Campos also have a three-year-old son named Martin.
Both Daniella and her brother were napping on Dec. 9 when it was time for Karla's bus to bring her home. Gloria walked outside, and watched helplessly as her oldest child was hit.
Gloria Campos rode in the ambulance with Karla, she says. Karla would have turned 6 on March 9.
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