Extra eyes on school buses is just what Rutherford County needs after a year plagued with allegations of sexual assault and abuse on buses.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Rutherford County has taken a step backward in its plans to outfit every school bus with security cameras, but that might actually be a good thing.
"That's the great thing about cameras," said James Evans of Rutherford County schools. "On the front end, they're a deterrent because, you know, students know they're being filmed. The bus driver does as well. But also, they really aid us when we have to look into an alleged incident."
Last week, school board members scrapped all previous bids to install cameras but upgraded their plan to add a GPS, along with a third camera, to 120 buses currently without any recording device.
From the driver's view, he or she can't see a small child in the middle of the bus. An additional camera lens would help capture all angles of activity.
"We think that the cameras are a good way to have some documentation of what happened on a bus. And that's why we’re looking to do it on all of our buses," Evans said. "They can look at the tape and say, 'It happened at this time,' and by using that information, they can determine where the bus was located on its route, how fast it was going. Was it moving? Was it stopped?"
The GPS would also be used to document and investigate travel records.
Richard Smith, from Mid South Bus Center, said that unlike a GPS in a personal vehicle, the bus GPS would log where the bus has been as opposed to where it is going.
There are currently only 50 buses in Rutherford County with cameras.
The board wants to spend between $200,000 and $400,000 for the upgrades. It plans to use reserves to pay for the cameras, but it seems to be a security upgrade that is long overdue.
The school board hopes to receive and approve bids after the first of the year. The county will then have to approve funding.
Cameras could be installed by spring.
Extra eyes on school buses is just what Rutherford County needs after a year plagued with allegations of sexual assault and abuse on buses.
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