Harford Co. To Combat Bullying With School Bus Cameras
HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ)—Fighting school violence. Local schools are taking a new approach to stop bullying, but some may say the plan is too intrusive.
Kelly McPherson explains how big brother will soon be watching.
The question is would the threat of being caught on camera prevent kids from bullying each other? One school district thinks it's worth trying.
School buses are now the latest focus for a school district trying to combat bullying.
"It's probably worth a try. Bullying is a bad thing. Shouldn't happen to anywhere, anytime," said Ian Berkley, Harford County.
For $2,000 per bus, a camera and recording equipment will capture everything on board.
"A lot of the school systems that currently use the system firmly believe that the mere presence of the cameras on the buses deter students from bullying and harassing behaviors," said Teri Kranefeld, Harford County Schools.
Bullying has grown into a major national issue, as some students have killed themselves after the harassment.
Some Harford County parents wonder if focusing on buses is the right place.
"It may prevent bullying on the school bus, but is it going to prevent it off the bus, at the bus stops? Probably not," said one parent.
The National Center For Education statistics says face-to-face bullying happens in the school, not on the bus. And the growing trend is cyber bullying, which happens online or on a cell phone.
"I think no matter what, if kids want to bully they're still going to bully," said Chris Miller, Harford County. "I don't think cameras have anything to do with it. It'll just keep them from doing it on the bus."
Some say why not spend the thousands of dollars to see if it works.
"Oh sure," said Cheryl Clark. "I think they should try to do something. It's just ridiculous."
This is a pilot program that will first start with 11 buses both in middle and high schools. There are other purposes, such as monitoring drivers and having evidence during crashes.
If the program goes well, more buses could be outfitted with the camera systems.
