Looking for success stories from districts able to move forward with safety upgrades in spite of tight budgets? Consider the following case study from Brainerd, Minn.
The Brainerd Dispatch reported this week that school buses operating in the area will soon be equipped with surveillance cameras to better manage on-board student behavior. The systems are made possible by a new contract recently signed with Reichert Bus Service to contract school buses for the next two school years.
Not that school bus contracting is necessarily the answer for all school districts struggling with shrinking budgets. But, as we’ve previously reported, private bus companies tend to be first-adopters of technology, at least traditionally. But being creative and thinking outside the box can be done by all, regardless if you work for a school district or a bus operator and especially if you know the right places to turn for help.
In our upcoming April magazine issue, catch our cover story on Loudoun County, Va., Public Schools. Superintendent Dr. Edgar Hatrick talks about the transportation department being charged with determining the goals and objectives of the district’s child safety programs, not just in transportation. The district became the first in the state to begin equipping its school buses with lap/shoulder belts, a premium which has since been rolled under the total cost of purchasing a new bus.
Loudoun County didn’t stop with seat belts: it also has cameras in all the buses and is quickly getting there with GPS, too. It helps the district had one of the top transportation directors around in Michael Lunsford, who passed away suddenly last summer. But the transportation is forging on in his memory.
And, back in Brainerd, the district is also not sitting still. In addition to the camera systems, Brainerd will also start seeing child check systems and crossing gates on its buses and the drivers will begin to receive an additional eight hours of training per year.
