Recording on school buses, especially audio recording, is a controversial topic, as many parents argue it violates students’ rights to privacy. But a Pennsylvania school board has officially voted to move forward with recording sound on district school buses.
In many states, this rule would directly violate wiretapping laws, but Pennsylvania amended their law last year, giving exemptions to school districts on the ban of audio recordings. This opened the door for State College Area School Board of Directors to approve recording of audio on school buses and other district vehicles with a 6-3 vote.
Video surveillance is already used on district buses, but audio recording features had been disabled until a decision had been made. Now, the school will re-enable audio recording capabilities. The district also put forth a specific plan for how it will use audio recordings, including:
- Informing parents about the technology
- Posting signs in the vehicle clearly stating the recording change
- Accessing the audio recordings only when an incident requires investigation.
If your district has been looking into using audio recording on fleet buses, you will need to check your state laws before following the Pennsylvania district.
