MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Horry County School District says the State Department of Education is tightening up laws that require homeowners associations to sign a waiver before school buses are allowed to drive on their private roads.

Jim Wright, Executive Director of Transportation at Horry County Schools, says this has always been a rule, but now the state is making the law tougher by applying the rule to all private roads in the county, including those that don’t have an HOA. This means if a private road doesn’t have an HOA, the school district will have to receive signed waivers from every property owner on every single private road before they are allowed to make bus stops in the area.

“I have to get these waivers notarized. What they’re asking us to do is kinda ridiculous if you’re wanting my honest opinion,” Wright said.

The waiver’s purpose is to protect the state from lawsuits that would result from property damage or any injuries that could happen on privately owned roads.

The enforcement of the law is causing some issues at the school district as they prepare for the beginning of school in two weeks.

“There are some areas where you have four to 500 houses in a neighborhood without any homeowners associations. Or they have two or three homeowner’s associations in one neighborhood, and if one refuses (to sign the waiver), I can’t go inside,” Wright said.

Right now, there are neighborhoods and HOAs that have not returned a signed waiver. When News13 asked the HOA for the Ashford Community in Carolina Forest whether they had plans to return a signed waiver, they declined to comment. Other HOAs could not be reached for comment.

According to Wright, the private roads and HOAs may refuse to sign because they don’t want to have liability, but as of right now, the district’s hands are tied due to the state-mandated law.

“We want to go in; we want to do the safest thing for the kids, but right now the way the state’s tightened up on the waiver form, we just can’t do it without that waiver form,” Wright said.

According to the district, children who live on the private roads where the bus access is restricted will have to walk to the closest county or state-owned road to catch the school bus.

If you are unsure of whether or not your road could be affected, click here for a map of every private road in the county.

HCSD recommends calling your school bus office to find out if your bus stop has changed. To find your local bus office, click here.