(a) All seats on school buses shall be forward-facing and shall be securely fastened to that part or parts of the school bus which support them, and any rule and regulation of the state board of education providing for any other seating arrangement shall be null and void. The state board of education shall adopt and enforce rules and regulations not inconsistent with this act to govern the design and operation of all school buses. The state board of education shall confer and consult, at such time or times as deemed necessary or advisable, with school officers and administrators and other persons responsible for school transportation services as to the effect of such rules and regulations. When any privately owned school bus is operated under contract with any school district or nonpublic school in this state, such rules and regulations shall by reference be made a part of any such contract with a school district or with a nonpublic school. Every school district, its officers and employees, and every nonpublic school, its officers and employees, and every person employed under contract by a school district or a nonpublic school shall be subject to such rules and regulations.

(b) Any officer or employee of any school district who violates any of the rules and regulations or fails to include obligation to comply with such rules and regulations in any contract executed on behalf of a school district shall be guilty of misconduct and subject to removal from office or employment. Any person operating a school bus under contract with a school district who fails to comply with any of the rules and regulations shall be guilty of breach of contract and such contract shall be canceled after notice and hearing by the responsible officers of such school district.

(c) The provisions of this section shall be subject to the provisions contained in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 8-2009a, and amendments thereto.