6608P Procedure - Video Cameras on School Buses

Placement of Cameras
A. Cameras shall be authorized for use in buses by the supervisor of transportation. The bus driver shall be notified of the placement in his/her bus.
B. Drivers may request that a camera be placed in their buses. The supervisor of transportation shall discuss the reason for the request with the driver and shall decide if and when a camera shall be placed in the bus by special request. If the bus is camera ready, then the supervisor can authorize the placement of a camera. If the bus is not camera ready, then the supervisor can assign a bus that already has a camera on the bus or a bus that is camera ready.
 
Use of Recorded Tapes
A. If the camera system uses a tape and there is a need to question behavior on a bus, then the lead mechanic/mechanic or supervisor will pull the tape, mark it for ID, and hold it for discipline action and then destroy it when not needed. If the camera system has a hard drive for the recording of the riders and there is no reason to hold the video, then the hard drive will remain in the camera system and the earliest dates will be recorded over.
B. If the driver wishes to view the tape, a time shall be set for this purpose.
C. The transportation supervisor may view the tape with or without the driver.
D. If a serious or flagrant violation of student bus rules is observed or if there is a continued violation, despite intervention, standard disciplinary action may be taken. Lesser violations shall be brought to the attention of the student and proper conduct shall be explained.
E. Any time a tape is to be used to support a disciplinary action, the tape shall be dated, labeled, and kept on file at the transportation department office for as long as deemed necessary.
F. Tapes not used to support disciplinary action shall be reused or destroyed when not useful.
G. When a tape is used to support disciplinary action, the student or the student’s parent/guardian/custodian may request to view the video. A viewing shall be arranged at the student’s school or the transportation department office.
H. A building principal or designee may request viewing of films through the transportation supervisor.
I. The supervisor of transportation may use videos to assist drivers with student behavior management skills.
 
Date: 12/9/08