School bus surveillance is becoming increasingly common across the country despite some concerns about student privacy, and one Kansas district shows how many schools are working to keep children safe with security cameras and bus tracking.
Garden City Telegram reports Holcomb Unified School District 363 plans on installing security cameras that will record video and audio inside its school buses, as well as tracking school buses’ locations and speeds.
The school board for the district recently approved a bid for a security camera system from Kansas Truck Equipment Co., which will outfit buses with four cameras that will include an infrared setting and be capable of recording day and night. Some of the cameras will also be equipped with a GPS receiver which will monitor location and speed of the bus.
Jean Rush, the district’s superintendent, told Garden City Telegram the plan to install the cameras was not spurred by any particular event on the school buses; the cameras are intended to add more safety and accountability for the district. Rush could not give a specific date for when the system will be installed, according to the newspaper.
School board President Matt Jones also told the newspaper the cameras are just one part of a larger security plan that was started in motion over one year ago. The district intends to also install more security cameras in school buildings and parking lots, as well as potentially remodeling school entrances for increased security.
For the full story from Garden City Telegram, click here.
