The leading education official in Montana might benefit from a driving safety lesson after she was fined for passing a stopped school bus. Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen was slapped with a $100 fine on May 31st after she was cited by police for unlawfully passing a stopped school bus while students were getting on.
Arntzen pleaded no contest to the citation in Helena Municipal Court, suggesting she didn’t admit guilt however wasn’t going to contest the allegation, court records show.
In the elected office since 2016, Arntzen declares she does not remember the incident.
The East Helena Public Schools bus driver identified her on May 19 and wrote down the license plate of the pickup truck that passed the bus, according to cops reports.
Cops likewise received two images from the school system from the school bus cam that reveals the event.
“We all need to be mindful, as I have no memory of this, and that’s why I did a no contest to this,” Arntzen said in court, according to KTVQ. “But we need to be mindful, especially when our buses are picking up our precious children. Our parents and our children deserve that. I also want to say thank you to the bus driver for being so diligent.”
Helena Municipal Court Judge Anne Peterson pulled $400 of the $500 fine and informed Arntzen she might get the citation removed of if she has a clean driving record over the next 2 months, court files state.
Arntzen was formerly a state Representative and state Senator prior to taking the public school Superintendent’s office.
A representative for Arntzen stated the event was a great lesson for all drivers when buses are picking up and dropping off kids, according to the Helena Independent Record.
“School bus safety is a very important issue and the Superintendent encourages everyone to be alert and mindful when school buses are picking up and dropping off our children at the bus stop and at school,” the statement says, according to the local newspaper.
“This is a good reminder for all of us to slow down from life’s daily distractions, and to pay extra careful attention, especially as we enter the busy summer season. The safety of our children must always come first.”
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