Thursday, May 15, 2008

Are Cameras Coming To Your School Bus?

This arrived in our mailbox from one of the high school listserves.

TO: All Principals and Assistant Principals

FROM: David Drown, Director of Transportation

RE: Bus Video Surveillance Equipment

The Pupil Transportation Office has the capability of using video cameras on buses servicing your school at your request, the request of the driver/contractor, or the discretion of the Transportation area supervisor. Prior to such use, it is our procedure that all parents and students be notified that such equipment may be used at any time. Although an abbreviated version is included in the school calendar handbook, we are requesting that the following notice be placed in the next printing of your student handbook or newsletter. It needs to go into some publication that all families using the bus system would receive.

The notification should read:

1. A bus video surveillance system may be in operation to help monitor student behavior on Howard County Public School buses. Bus safety is a top priority and bus drivers may not be able to watch the road and closely monitor students at the same time.



2. The surveillance system can be helpful in monitoring student behavior and permit the bus driver to concentrate on safe driving.



Thank you for your cooperation regarding this matter.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's lovely that we're teaching our kids how to live in a police state and that it's acceptable behavior on the part of governments.

Anonymous said...

Ah, Chris Bachmann, my GenX Sbux friend, here I go again on the generational thing. The Millennial world view (kids born 1982 - 2002ish) *expect* adults to make the world safe for THEM. GenXers (1961 - 1981) grew up in a culture of self-focused adults where children's needs were at an all-time low. Being nimble, focused on hard and true facts about life as it is right in front of them is more of a GenX value.

At least that's how I understand it from studying William Strauss and Neil Howe's work for close to a decade.