Video surveillance coming to Halton school buses

Halton Student Transportation Services will soon be installing interior-facing video cameras on the majority of its school buses.

In a letter to parents Friday night (Jan. 27), Halton District School Board (HDSB) officials shared that the cameras will be rolled out starting Feb. 6 on 70 per cent of bus routes that include students from Halton’s public and Catholic boards. Buses being used for charters and field trips are also part of the new measure.

“As school buses are an extension of the school environment, these cameras are intended to provide additional student safety regarding incidents that may occur on buses,” sad HDSB Superintendent of Business Services Roxana Negoi in the letter.

“Video collected by these cameras will provide principals with additional information concerning incidents that occur on school buses, if needed.”

The buses involved will be fitted with three cameras - one at the front, one at the back and one in the middle, with all focused on the interior of the bus.

School buses with cameras turned on will have signage to indicate video surveillance is in place.

The board says personal information recorded by the cameras is being collected under the authority of the Education Act and in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and will only be used for promoting student safety and investigation of incidents.

A pilot project was completed on select bus routes in November, in conjunction with the Information Privacy Commission of Ontario to ensure proper compliance. 

The letter to parents indicates both boards and Halton Student Transportation Services have collaborated with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to ensure secure and limited collection of personal information.

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