Attacks on Route 60 have become so commonplace that new measures to keep children safe on school buses have been enacted in at least one Samaria community, Arutz Sheva has learned Tuesday.
The education committee of Ma'ale Levona, in Binyamin, has begun a "Shuttle Guard" program to keep students safe on their way to school outside of their community, as well as strengthen a sense of responsibility, officials stated.
The project, overseen by Maale Levona police officer Yehuda Grossman, will see several students in grades 6-8 on every bus taking the children to school - not only to secure them in the event of a rock-throwing attack, look for suspicious objects, and monitor the driver's behavior, but also to "lead by example" in keeping them calm.
The child-to-teen ratio, if implemented, will be approximately 3:1.
Tali Oren, Secretary of Ma'ale Levona, stated that the program is part of enhancing the community's sense of resilience.
"In recent years we have invested in building, leadership, and enhancing the community's resilience," Oren stated. "It is important for us to increase the responsibility for youth towards younger children [as well]. This causes a sense of mutual responsibility and community even among the younger generation - not only adults."
"I hope that the enterprise succeeds and other communities embrace it," Oren added.
The decision follows the rise of rock-throwing attacks along Samaria's Route 60, which is the main highway linking the various communities with Ariel and Jerusalem and is a frequent target by Palestinian Arab terrorists.