STATISTICS
87% of operations have interior cameras on their
school bus. (Out of 103 responses to a recent magazine reader survey.)
84% of transportation directors/supervisors said video footage has resulted in exonerating a school bus driver or attendant/monitor. (Out of 90 responses.)
95% of transportation directors/supervisors said they’ve had an incident on board the school bus that was caught on video cameras. (Out of 91 responses.)
Top Incidents Caught on Interior Cameras: • Fights (Students with weapons, bullying, etc.)
• Students vaping • Students fabricating lies about the driver
• Parent and bus driver confrontations
(Out of 65 responses.)
Meanwhile, Clint Bryer, director of sales for pupil transportation at Safety Vision, said vendor, age and generation of the video systems on the buses are what matters. “Keeping the video provider uniform in the fleet makes it easier for the users,” he add- ed. “Navigating through multiple providers can get cumbersome and confusing. These days, managing video has never been easier, especially if the district or operator is connected to a network. The VMS [vid- eo management system] makes video management extremely efficient.” As video technology becomes more and more com-
mon throughout school fleets, districts may consider adapting plans and policies to manage all facets of video monitoring and required accountability and maintenance of the installed systems. “An action plan with tasks assigned to specific
individuals is essential for fleet safety and efficien- cy,” said Taylor Moore, a software specialist with REI. “Fortunately, there are all-in-one fleet management solutions available for minimizing the time and effort needed for staff notification and event review. She added that software can alert administrators immediately after events are detected and download the associated videos for review. Designated users can then view and share the videos in a timely manner to take prompt correction action if needed. “[Software] can drastically reduce time spent on video management,” she continued. “Trips to pull hard drives are also minimized, saving time and travel expenses.” Additionally, she said technology can advance fleet
safety and efficiency by identifying events like panic button presses, stop-arm violations, surveillance sys- tem problems, rapid acceleration, geofence violations and engine issues. While many schools rely entirely on the vendor
to provide any management of the video footage, some vendors caution that school districts should be involved and be sensitive to the data and information that the video captures and how it is to be used. “A school district must treat its surveillance video
as if it will be used as evidence in court—because it could be,” noted AngelTrax’s Howard. “Create and enforce a chain of custody policy. Such a policy will help to guarantee consistency, conformity and compliance with the proper handling and archiving of video footage. Because this footage could later be used in court, it is important that if a policy is created, staff members follow it consistently. Also, maintain an up-to-date master list of authorized personnel and their level of access to your mobile video surveillance systems.” ●
36 School Transportation News • MAY 2023
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