Another use for the DC Seacureview camera.
Copyright 2001 The Providence Journal Company
The Providence Journal-Bulletin
January 12, 2001, Friday, Blackstone Valley EDITION
SECTION: NEWS, Pg. 1C
LENGTH: 441 words
HEADLINE: School buses to carry security cameras
BYLINE: JOANNE MARCIANO; Journal Staff Writer
BODY:
Six cameras will be rotated among 36 buses to improve service and security and monitor students' behavior, school officials say.
* *
CUMBERLAND - Extra eyes will be watching what happens on some school buses beginning next week, school officials said yesterday.
Through an agreement with Laidlaw, the school district's bus company, six security cameras will be installed in 36 school buses on a rotating basis, Schools Supt. Joseph M. Nasif Jr. told the School Committee last night.
It's an effort to improve the quality of the service and security of the School Department's transportation system, Nasif said.
These security cameras can be used as needed to monitor the performance of our transportation service with respect to student conduct, and can provide a visual record for reference when reviewing concerns or recommendations for improvements, Nasif wrote in a letter sent to parents.
Each day, the School Department buses about 4,000 students to and from school and school-related events, Nasif said. On a typical bus there is one adult, the driver, responsible for up to 66 students, he said. The use of security cameras will provide another way to monitor student conduct, Nasif said.
Tapes recorded by the cameras will be stored for five days with Laidlaw in a secure location, DiPietro said. If, after five days, there have been no complaints about incidents on the bus, the tapes will be erased. In case a complaint arises about something that happened on one of the buses that had a camera aboard, school officials will review the tape, DiPietro said.
Also, complaints about safety on any of the buses would prompt school officials to place a security camera on the bus in question, DiPietro said.
All of the buses operating in town are equipped to carry the cameras, he said.
A letter was sent home with students earlier this week, informing parents and students about the security cameras. So far, school officials say, they haven't received any complaints from parents.
Installation of the security cameras is not the result of complaints about student conduct on the buses, DiPietro said. Rather, the goal of placing the cameras on buses is to provide a way for school officials to understand and improve the School Department's transportation service, he said.
DiPietro has been working with officials from Laidlaw for more than two years in an attempt to have the cameras installed on school buses in town, he said.
Since the six security cameras will be placed on school buses on a rotating basis, there will be no implication that certain buses are being targeted, DiPietro said.
AI
