Goshen Schools ramping up security on buses

GOSHEN, Ind.-- After a tragic school bus accident in Fulton County, Goshen Community Schools is amping up school bus security.

Goshen Community School's said an upgrade to the current bus security system is long overdue.

“It’s something that we’ve been working on for a while. We’ve been looking at our camera systems. Our buses are currently all equipped with them but we were looking to upgrade our cameras. However, with the accident last week in central Indiana, we went ahead and added the stop arm camera because I know that’s always something we’ve been concerned about,” said Goshen Community Schools assistant superintendent, Alan Metcalfe.

The incident Metcalfe's referring to is on the top of many people's minds.

Three young kids were killed while trying to board their bus in Fulton County.

People living in the Goshen district said that's why they're all for this upgrade.

Goshen resident Keith List, said, “Technology is a force, it could definitely be used to boost up security so why not use it? Traffic is whizzing by, people definitely don’t pay attention so preventative measures would be a good thing for the school and for the students I feel.”

Chrystal King has children in the Goshen School's district as well. She said, “I wish they would’ve had this when my kids were all little. If they would’ve had it when they were younger maybe my son could’ve rode the bus. There’s bullying going on in the buses, there’s people traveling around the buses. There’s kids  getting hurt, kids getting hit. We have to do something in our community to make it better.”

When implemented, the $145,000 dollar plan will outfit 36 of 50 Goshen Community School buses with four interior cameras, HD night vision camera that allows low light film and audio, WIFI to allow parents and school staff to track their students in real time, and HD cameras will be mounted on bus stop arms.

“Our goal at Goshen commutiy schools is to make sure that our students ariive safely and as quickly as possible. The bus drivers are the first people they see in the morning, they are the last person they see in the afternoon. They are a very important part of our community here and they just want to look out for those students,” said Metcalfe.

Metcalfe said once the proposal is approved, Goshen Community School's can expect the new upgrades to be implemented as early as next spring.