THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Those traditional yellow school buses might soon be decorated with advertising, if some Mississippi lawmakers get their way.
Supporters say allowing commercial messages on buses is a way to help school districts increase their local revenues when budgets are tight, while opponents say young children shouldn’t be exposed to ads in a setting without parental supervision.
The House voted 94-21 last week to pass a bill that would let districts sell advertising space inside and outside school buses, starting July 1. There would be restrictions: No ads for alcohol, tobacco or junk food or for political or religious causes.
The bill is being sent to the other end of the Capitol for more debate, and one Senate Education Committee member said he has some concerns.
Sen. Lee Yancey, R-Brandon, who has two children in public schools, said advertising is already prevalent on schools’ football and baseball fields, but no one is forced to go to those places. Many children who ride buses to and from school have no other choice.
“In a way, I would want to insulate them from groups that would want to target them as consumers in a place that is totally without parental supervision,” Yancey said.
Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.
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