GNS In The News
Hodges Signs Jacob's Law To Require Use Of School BusesCHUCK CRUMBO, Staff Writer As Gov. Jim Hodges signed Jacob's Law on Tuesday, tears welled in Lisa Strebler's eyes. Her two-year campaign to strengthen school bus safety in South Carolina was over. She had turned the tragedy of her son's death into something that Hodges said would benefit all of South Carolina's children. "It's bittersweet," said Strebler, struggling to find words to convey her feelings. "Somebody had to do it, but it could not be anything that you wanted to do." The measure, called Jacob's Law, requires private schools and child-care centers to use school buses when transporting children. It's named after Strebler's 6-year-old son, Jacob. Jacob died July 12, 1994, when the Heathwood Hall Episcopal School van he and eight other children were riding in was struck by a semi-truck at Bluff Road and Beltline Boulevard. The Streblers' attorney, Richard Gergel, later learned that a 1974 federal law prohibits car dealers from selling new 15-passenger vans, such as the one Jacob was in, to schools for the transport of children. A law, though, says the schools and child-care centers can buy them used. "Jacob and his classmates shouldn't have been in that van," Hodges said. "Today, we enact a new law ... that will prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future." Key provisions of the law, which Hodges said is one of the toughest in the country, include:
"This is for a little boy who went to a swimming lesson and never returned," Strebler said after Hodges embraced her for a moment as she wept. "This was done out of a mother's love that never ends. It gives you strength to go beyond the grave." Hodges also awarded Strebler the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest award for public service. Among the clump of legislators and well-wishers who looked on during the bill-signing ceremony in the lower rotunda of the State House were members of the S.C. Child Care Association, which represents more than 100 providers. The association opposed the measure when it was introduced in 1997 after the Streblers had settled their lawsuit with the van's manufacturer, the car dealer, the school and the trucking company. While it liked the idea, the association said members didn't have enough time to change over from vans to buses. One reason the association wanted more time is that the buses represent a significant cost increase for day care centers, most of them privately owned. A van costs about $25,000, while a school bus is $35,000. But the cost is worth it, said Bettye Herbert, who operates a child-care center in Piedmont. Her bus, which seats 14 children, is reinforced to withstand impact, and the seats are padded to protect children who might be thrown against them during an accident. An aisle down the middle of buses creates a break that prevents children from being tossed from one side to another. "The safety factor gives you peace of mind," Herbert said. Chuck Crumbo can be reached at (803) 771-8503 or e-mail ccrumbo@thestate.com. Copyright (c) 2000 The State Reprinted from The State newspaper |
