SPECIAL REPORT
As Camera Systems Evolve, IT Collaboration
Necessary Mirroring needs of larger tech stacks, data management of increasingly complex video solutions dictates transportation involve IT early, often
Written by Ryan Gray |
ryan@stnonline.com
Brenten Dum, the lead mechanic for contractor Kauffman Bus, inspects one of the school bus cameras used for Cumberland Valley School District in Pennsylvania.
W
hen student transporters seek new school bus equipment, what do they look for? The options can be intricately dizzying, prompting them to turn to a resource
that previously assisted with mundane email issues and computer peripherals not working. Susan Keller, like many student transportation leaders,
relies on the expertise of her school district IT depart- ment to help make the right choices, especially when it comes to implementing a new camera system. The transportation manager for Cumberland Valley School District in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, said IT played a “critical” role in upgrading to Safe Fleet camera systems and the cloud-based Commander video man- agement system in August 2023. “They provide all of the technical knowledge in
achieving our dream of a hands-off school bus camera system,” she added. “We are now able to access video in- dependently without inconveniencing contractors and drivers with requests to manually retrieve video.” Cumberland Valley, she explained, uses several small
and large contractors in addition to the 90 district school buses that operate three-tiers of service each day across a 103-squaree-mile service area. The school district pur- chases and installs the equipment into the contractors’ vehicles, a complex project in itself. “While looking at various school bus camera models, I was in constant conversation with our IT department as to what each scenario would involve from their end,” she said. Several questions needed answers. Would the system require Wi-Fi access points on buildings? Would access
24 School Transportation News • MARCH 2025
points at contractor lots be prudent? Would the district choose cellular technology? If so, what would that annu- al cost be? “There were many details that I would not have known to ask or look for that they were able to guide me in,” Keller shared. In the end, IT drove the decision to utilize Wi-Fi hotspots with access spots at each school building and bus loop as well as the transportation facility. Cellular with its monthly data cost and live look-in feature was deemed too expensive and challenging to manage. “Everybody’s always shorthanded,” she added. Keller said she can now respond to requests made
from drivers during their route to download and review flagged footage at her desk. Previously, she shared, anyone including contractors could download video and store it on their computers or upload it to Google Drive. “It was not as secure as we would have liked,” she explained. Meanwhile, Denver Public Schools in Colorado is
working closely with its IT department as well as mul- tiple vendors on a suite of video solutions that includes AI-enhanced software. Albert Samora, the executive director of transportation, said Denver is due for an upgrade, as the existing cameras date back to 2018. But first, he wants to ensure the current project, which was slowed by COVID-19, is a success. The first phase, all video storage and management
moving to the cloud, went as planned. Phase two, seam- lessly connecting each school bus camera system to Wi-Fi and cellular for downloading, is in process.
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