Replying to Ticket for passing a school bus?

Alright well today i was late to school and wasn't really paying attention and i ended up passing a school bus that had the littel stop sign out. APparently, the driver wrote down my liscense plate number and called the fuzz and they ended up yanking me outta class and writing me a citation. Anyways, i'm not sure if i should go to court becasue aparently it is a 3rd degree misdeamonr which seems more serious then all the other traffic violations. My alternative to going to court is paying $225 to do some program where i have to do some community service and the ticket will never appear on my record? What do you think i should do court of hte service thign and why?