q & a school security - cctv on buses

Q: Defacing of property, bullying and drunk driving are only a few of the issues that can occur during a bus ride. Do you think school buses should be equipped with security cameras?

A: This is an interesting question and one about which opinions will most definitely vary. Take parents for instance. In most cases parents would be supportive of this decision as it means an extra layer of security to keep the ones they love better protected. There will always be those who disagree with “Big Brother” – whether parent or not. Students, generally speaking, would be more likely to reject this technology as it would act as an interference to a level of their privacy but students who have been bullied on the bus would most likely feel a sense of comfort and security. Most school officials, on the other hand, would have an entirely different view and see this effort as a way to protect not only the student(s) and the driver – but the school and school property as well.

An interesting article was shown in the Boston Globe back in July that indicated the Boston school system had plans to add 750 cameras and audio to their buses and would be joining other states that have already implemented this technology. These systems were being installed to monitor road behavior, accidents, bullying, and other disciplinary issues while allowing school officials the ability to investigate reports more accurately and thoroughly.

The article stated that more than 30,000 students are transported to private and public schools on a daily basis and though Boston school officials say that students typically behave well on buses there were still approximately 5,600 incident reports filed to document misconduct.

Misconduct doesn’t only occur with students. It can also occur with school bus drivers. There have been many reports of inappropriate behavior of drivers in which some cases turned fatal or detrimental to the health and well being of the students on-board. Take a look at a video found on YouTube that recorded students asking a drunk bus driver to stop the bus. Luckily that one didn’t end up in the ‘fatal’ category. ■

What do you think? Do you think cameras on buses will help to increase security and drive down bad behavior?