Wake County Board of Education Chairman Tyler Swanson was cited in January for speeding in a school zone.
The Cary police citation said Swanson was driving 47 miles per hour next to West Cary Middle School at 2:42 p.m., which was just 27 minutes after the school's 2:15 p.m. dismissal. The school's calendar lists Friday, Jan. 9 as a normal school day.
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Swanson was elected to the school board in 2022 and became chairman in December. He represents Cary and part of Apex.
School zones are established by local ordinance and require slower driving in certain circumstances. In Cary, school zone speed limits are 25 miles per hour, and they're in effect for the 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after school begins and ends and sometimes more often.
The citation says the Swanson was driving on Evans Road, a four-lane major road off of which people enter the school. Outside of the school zone hours, the road as a speed limit of 35 miles per hour. He faces a fine of $441.
Reached by WRAL on Thursday afternoon, Swanson said he didn't want to comment on the case and wanted constituents to know he's focused on the school district's major issues right now.
"My priority right now is to focus on the budget," Swanson said.
Swanson referred WRAL to his attorney, John McWilliam. McWilliam didn't immediately return a message Thursday afternoon.
Records show Swanson waived his appearance March 3.
During a March 9 work session, in which the school board discussed speed-zone cameras, Swanson said he's glad the district could move forward with cameras, especially as they encourage walking to school. "I do think this is something that we should address and move forward with, as long as there's partnerships," Swanson said.
