An upgrade of school bus camera systems to Wi- Fi capability at Kanawha County Schools in West Virginia was needed after the district purchased Wi- Fi hotspots for student educational purposes through the federal E-Rate program. The photo shows the hotspots and cameras being installed.
Upgrading Video Systems Thirty-six percent of the same 112 TD Summit par-
ticipants surveyed said video security systems were an anticipated purchase in the next 12 months. Kenni Jean Schrader, transportation supervisor for
Three Rivers Community Schools in Michigan, and Ja- son Redman, director of transportation Kanawha County Schools in West Virginia, recently upgraded their camera systems to meet their latest transportation needs. Schrader said Three Rivers decided to upgrade its vid- eo cameras a year ago due to unreliable equipment and outdated technology. After meeting with several pro- viders and checking references, she said the best option was to remain with the existing provider but opt for the most up-to-date options and support. One step was upgrading the number of cameras on each bus. School buses that had four interior camer- as now have five to six cameras and transit style buses have seven. While she noted that limited funds led to the
42 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2024
decision to not purchase exterior cameras, Three Rivers pre-wired the buses for exterior cameras so that when the time comes to install those, the wiring is already done. When looking for capabilities and functions, she said
customer service is paramount. Additionally, she said transportation wanted to allow remote access to ad- ministrators if a bus event requires urgency, especially outside of normal school hours. Meanwhile, Redman, who became the director in
January after serving as a high school administrator at Kanawha County Schools for the past 14 years, said Wi-Fi capability was the reason for upgraded camera systems. The district purchased Wi-Fi hotspots for all buses using federal E-Rate funds and wanted the camera systems to able to utilize the technology as well. He explained that a state requirement requires all school buses to have video cameras. Kanawha installed AngelTrax cameras on the buses 20 years ago but upgrades the equip- ment as the system advances, noting that picture quality
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