Virginia Beach City Public Schools will install cameras on all of its buses

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — This week is School Bus Safety Week. According to Cris Sprouse, there were 248 incidents of people passing stopped school buses in June. Sprouse is the director of special education for the Virginia Beach Public Schools Department of Transportation.

“If you walk through the lights on a bus while they are actively loading or unloading students, the camera picks it up, it goes to the police department and they check it out,” Sprouse explained.

So now Sprouse and his team are in the process of installing cameras both inside and outside every school bus in their fleet. Funds have already been secured for these cameras.

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“It will probably take a while for it to reach every bus, but it is coming,” he said.

Not only is it School Bus Safety Week here in Virginia, but earlier this week we celebrated School Bus Worker Appreciation Day. Remember, it’s never too late to show your appreciation for the people who get your children safely to and from school.

“Bus drivers are out there when it rains, when winter comes, scraping the windows and preparing the buses so your kids can get to and from school safely,” Sprouse said.

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However, not only students appreciate their drivers. For one driver, Jeanne Morrison, she may have a greater appreciation for her students.

“These are my bus kids, that’s all they are, and they are! My parents are great, my kids are great,” she said.

Once cameras are installed on these buses, News 3 will be sure to cover this story further.