As a new school year begins, the Mount Ida, Caddo Hills, and Oden school districts, in conjunction with the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, would like to remind everyone of the laws pertaining to school zones and school premises.
The following are Arkansas State Laws on the restriction of wireless hand-held telephones in school zones and prohibition of the use oftobacco products on school premises:
A.C.A. § 27-51-1609 states a driver of a motor vehicle shall not use a handheld wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle when passing a school building or school zone during school hours when children are present and outside the building. This section does not apply to law enforcement officers.
A.C.A. § 6-21-609 states that smoking or use of tobacco or products containing tobacco in any form in or on any property owned or leased by a public school district, including school buses, is prohibited.
This information is to educate the public on the State Laws regarding the safety and well being of all of our students. We ask that the above stated laws, along with being an alcohol, drug, and gun free zone, be taken into consideration when visiting your schools.
Montgomery County Sheriff David White stated that with local schools two weeks into the new year his office has already fielded complaints about violations of these rules at local schools. They have also received reports of vehicles passing school buses while they are stopped to pick up or return students from school.
The Sheriff’s Office takes these issues seriously and they are focusing their efforts on keeping locals students safe.