INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The John Boner Neighborhood Centers (JBNC) is under investigation because, unlike normal school buses, their buses do not have a swing-out stop sign.

Indiana State Police say that school buses are required to have swing-out stop arms per state law.

JBNC said they were told that the stop arms were conditional.

“When we purchased the buses, we were told by the company that we purchased the buses from that those flashing lights, and stop arms, and the yellow color all had to be removed because we are not a school corporation,” JBNC Community Development Officer Melissa Benton said.

ISP said the center reached out to them in November to ask about bus inspections. During that communication, police told the center that state law would not allow them to pick up and drop off children road side because they didn’t have swing-out stop arms.

At the time, JBNC had their lawyers take a microscope to the law.

“Our legal counsel reviewed the state law, determined that we were in compliance; we shared that information with our board of directors and made the decision to continue offering our transportation services as we had been,” Benton said.

From November until last week, JBNC gave public school children with no other transportation options rides to and from school without issue.

Last week, ISP said they got a tip from someone concerned they were loading and unloading children in the road without a stop arm, sparking their investigation.

Since then, JBNC stopped using their buses while its lawyer worked with ISP.

“We contacted our legal counsel. She has subsequently met with state police legal counsel again and they’ve reviewed the state law, and they agree that her interpretation of the state law is accurate,” Benton said.

JBNC’s attorney said they didn’t do anything wrong. “That’s what we believe,” Benton said.

Even though the buses have sat empty since last week, JBNC says that no children have gone without transportation. They’ve contracted with a third-party busing company to make sure those kids get to and from school.

John Boner Neighborhood Centers full statement

John Boner Neighborhood Centers (JBNC), in partnership with Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School (TGNS) is proud to provide essential transportation services for children in our community, ensuring that all families can rely on safe and dependable options. Our supplemental transportation services primarily
serves young children under the age of 12, who would otherwise have to walk to school.

TGNS is an Innovation Network School. In November 2024, as a part of our organizational review of services, JBNC consulted with the Indiana State Police, multiple legal counsel and our insurance carriers to confirm that JBNC and TGNS’s proposed supplemental transportation services were in full compliance
with state law and applicable regulations. After thorough review and expert advice, we received confirmation that our services were operating in accordance with the law, prompting us to continue our commitment to transporting children safely to and from school within the neighborhood.

While we are confident that all necessary steps have been taken to ensure compliance, JBNC has proactively implemented additional measures to eliminate any potential confusion regarding the provision of such transportation services.

JBNC and TGNS are committed to partnering together to provide a safe, reliable means of transportation for children in our neighborhood. Our primary goal is to ensure that every child has access to a safe route to school, enabling them to continue their education.

John Boner Neighborhood Centers