School Bus Ad Bill Fails to Pass Senate

By Paul Friswold Wed., May 16 2012 at 8:52 AM

Categories: Education, Follow That Story

MO school buses will remain pristine, just as their inventor Melinda Schoolbus, intended.

Representative Mike Kelley's (R-Lamar) bill that would create and regulate a system for school districts to place advertising on school buses has stalled out in the senate. The language of HB1273 prohibited ads of a sexual, drug related or age-inappropriate nature, which caused some concern for Senator Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia). Sen. Schaefer worried that these prohibitions would lead to lawsuits about free speech being repressed.

But his was not the only voice of caution. Senate Education Committee chairman David Pearce (R-Warrensburg) wondered if the ads on the outside of the bus would be a distraction for other drivers, thereby creating a risk to the safety of the children.

I gather Warrensburg has no ads on its city buses -- or maybe has no city buses -- nor does it have any bus bench ads, billboards, for sale signs, "we buy ugly houses" signs or any of those "make $50,000 working from home" signs taped to every third telephone poll. Because out here in the real world, you can't drive 50 feet without spotting an advertisement for something. Ads on school buses would just be more visual clutter, but hardly a distraction.