Are Criminals Riding on Your Child’s School Bus? [AUDIO]

A Jersey lawmaker is sponsoring a measure to require criminal background checks for all adults that ride on school buses, - not just the drivers.

Assemblywoman Connie Wagner says "this bill is just common sense -it says basically if the bus driver has to have a criminal check, then why would not the bus safety aide? When you think about it, the bus driver is driving -the bus safety aid is out there up and down the isle of the bus."

She says the idea for the bill came from "an incident that occurred with a child being molested in South Jersey…this just sent our antennas up to say - you know what, we better do everything in our power to make sure that there are criminal checks - background checks to make sure that our children are safe…this is a loophole - and this is just filling in that loophole, and making sure that all bases are covered, and that our children are safe when they are placed on a school bus."

The legislation would also require bus companies that have cameras on their vehicles randomly view recordings that are made, to make sure "that no one tampers with the monitoring devices, in order to cover up an incident…tampering with an on-board monitoring device would be a fourth degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months jail-time and fines of up to $10,000, or both…every parent that puts their child on a school bus wants to be assured that their child is safe."

Wagner hopes the measure will begin making its way through the legislature as soon as the Assembly reconvenes next month.