FILE: EDCB
VIDEO EQUIPMENT ON SCHOOL BUSES
In order to safeguard student privacy while providing for their safety and security. The Bogalusa City School Board recognizes the use of digital cameras on school buses as an important tool in the management of the security and safety of students.
Strict adherence to laws and rules of confidentiality shall be maintained in the viewing of tapes and use of equipment to assure compliance with laws and regulations regarding the privacy rights of students and employees.
Bogalusa City School Board shall utilize digital video recording equipment in school buses for the security and safety of students and staff. Students or staff identified on video recording who are in violation of Bogalusa City School Board policies shall be subject to disciplinary action. Violations of the law shall be referred to law enforcement agencies and the recorded video evidence shall be provided to law enforcement agencies.
A copy of this policy shall be added to the Bogalusa City School Board Parent Student Teacher Code of Conduct under Bus Transportation and Safety, to serve as notification to students, parents/guardians and staff that digital video surveillance exists on all school buses and that those video recordings may be used in student disciplinary proceedings. In addition, a prominent notice shall be placed in each bus stating, "This bus is equipped with a video monitoring system. Your actions may be recorded."
Access to video recordings from any security camera shall be limited to school administrators and the transportation supervisor with designation by the Superintendent. However, law enforcement officials may be granted access to video recordings after giving prior notice to the Superintendent or his/her designee.
In the event of an ongoing emergency in order to protect the health, welfare, and safety of all students, staff and visitors, law enforcement shall have immediate access to live video feed of security cameras. Law enforcement shall notify the Superintendent or his/her designee as soon as practical of the scope of such access.
Whenever conflicting accounts of a safety or disciplinary incident occurs, or if a parent or guardian disputes or challenges a bus discipline report, and the parent's child was video recorded, the school principal (and/or designee) may decide to review the recording. Neither the parent nor guardian of the student that has been video recorded, nor the student shall be allowed to view the video recording in accordance with student privacy laws, unless the student is the only subject of the recording or the building principal has obtained written permission from the parents/guardians of all other students on the video recording for them to be viewed, or if the identity of other students in the recording is otherwise protected (e.g., the image is blurred). Upon written request the School Board shall provide a written summary of the recorded incident(s) of a student pictured on a video to the student's parents/guardians.
The contracted bus operator shall be responsible for the security of all bus digital video equipment and for the inserting and removing of video data files. When a building principal requests to view a recording, the contracted bus operator along with the supervisor of transportation shall safeguard the digital hard drive until a meeting can be arranged. Digital files retained as part of an individual student's disciplinary record shall be maintained in accordance with law and School Board policy governing the access, review, and release of student records. All digital hard drive files may be erased/destroyed after a period of approximately three weeks unless they are part of an ongoing investigation or of educational significance to the Bogalusa City School Board. Erasing of digital hard drives shall be in accordance with proper procedures outlined by the Superintendent and staff. Only designated personnel of the school system shall be permitted to erase the digital hard drives.
All digital surveillance cameras are property of the Bogalusa City School Board. If a bus operator who own his/her bus decides to remove that particular bus from the system, the digital camera system shall be removed from the bus prior to the bus being removed and returned to the school system.
New policy: September 29, 2022
Ref: Board minutes, 9-29-22
Bogalusa City School Board