Safe Returns S
By Art Gissendaner
chool districts have relied on surveillance cameras inside school buses to monitor stu- dent behavior and bus driver
conduct for years, but prosecutorial am- bivalence and citizen challenges, until now, have prevented camera images of stop arm violations to be used as evidence to prosecute the offenders. Now, with the work of some citizen’s professional
groups, associations and
lawmakers, these obstacles are being re- moved, giving new hope to parents and transportation officials that the tragedies that spurred some legislation won’t be re- peated elsewhere. What began amid controversy in 2008
when Rhode Island passed ground-break- ing legislation, which allows the use of camera images to prosecute stop arm violations and holds the vehicle owner re- sponsible for the fines, has caught on in North Carolina, Maryland, Washington state, Georgia, Virginia and Mississippi. Bills proposing similar provisions have been sponsored in New York and Texas, while movements to craft similar mea- sures are underway in New Hampshire, Iowa and Florida. Of these states, only North Carolina requires an image of the driver to pursue prosecution. Te others hold the vehicle owner responsible for the fine, much like a parking ticket. Even in some states that lack specific
statutes allowing for the use of stop arm cameras, school districts are installing them either to gather proof that such a statute is needed or to support the testi- mony of bus drivers in court. One might conclude that they must
know something. Tat “something” might be that cameras are worth the investment. School officials say the returns on their in-
44 School Transportation News Magazine August 2011
vestments are not calculated in money, but in increased confidence in disciplinary or legal actions resulting from onboard in- cidents and in increased prosecution rates for stop arm violations, both of which equal increased student safety. Tey also say it is
difficult to calculate the monetary savings on complaints that never become lawsuits.
ONBOARD CAMERAS Because of the variety of incidents that can occur on a school bus, school officials
School officials say on-board, external camera systems are worth the investment for ensuring student safety
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