Buffalo School District Adds Video to Buses

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 06/08/10

A New York school district will be implementing a school transportation surveillance system. Buffalo School District has signed a contract with Apollo Video Technology to equip its 693 school buses with cameras, audio recording, and RoadRunner, an application for managing the recordings. The buses are operated for the district by First Student, a transportation company.

The equipment is expected to be installed for the start of the 2010-2011 school year. Each system integrates GPS capabilities, already in the buses, enabling synchronization with the video systems. This feature makes it possible for district staff and first responders to search for video based on the bus route location to monitor school bus activity and respond to safety or security concerns. The system also records vehicle speed information.

The stated purpose of the surveillance system is to record student pick-up and drop-off locations, deter vandalism and negative student behavior, and protect drivers from false claims.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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