FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BULLHEAD CITY/MOHAVE VALLEY – The superintendents of the area’s two largest elementary school districts are reminding drivers that school buses are again picking up and dropping off students for the 2026-2027 school year. In addition to buses, students will also be walking or riding bicycles to and from school, and sometimes crossing the street to and from bus stops. The area’s six public school districts, as well as charter and parochial schools, have different start days and times. Bullhead City School District #15 (BCSD) classes started July 27, while Mohave Valley Elementary School District #16 (MVESD) begins classes on August 3.

“Traffic must stop in both directions if a school bus is displaying its red flashing lights and stop sign, unless it’s a divided highway,” said Superintendents Carolyn Stewart (BCSD) and Cole Young (MVESD) in a joint statement. “Arizona state law is clear about that, and school bus drivers are empowered to report those violators to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. They can often provide information with recordings from bus cameras.”

When buses are stopped, there’s a good chance that students are nearby. Not all students pay attention to oncoming traffic, so drivers of other vehicles should always be alert and yield to pedestrians, even when pedestrians don’t have the right of way. Careless private vehicle drivers have caused several accidents with area school buses over the years—buses have been bumped, t-boned, hit head-on, sideswiped and even flipped on their sides. The same school bus safety tips apply to adjacent districts as well.

Additional school start dates in the Colorado River Valley include:
• Colorado River Union High School District – August 3
• Topock Elementary School District – August 6
• Clark County School District (Laughlin High and Bennett Elementary Schools) – August 10
• Needles Unified School District – August 12

For more information, please contact the Bullhead City School District #15 or Mohave Valley Elementary School District #16 media offices.