Hello,

     I am a mother of a beautiful son who just started middle school.  Unfortunately, he was attacked on his bus on October 28, 2019. He was sitting in his seat and some words were exchanged between him and a fellow student. (None of which my son started). This lead to him getting punched in the face which then lead to him being on the floor of the bus where he then got choked. This was being video tapped by other fellow students.  The bus driver was unaware the entire time while my son was being attacked on the back of the bus.  My son called me hysterical about the incident.  Not only being hurt but he was horrified, embarrassed, and felt helpless.  What if this happened to your child?  Chances are, this has happened to your child.  Maybe once, maybe daily but this is something that needs to be addressed now.  We as parents expect out kids to be safe on the school bus.  This isn't the case.

     Buses are extremely small spaces with a very captive audience and a bus driver whose focus is on the road.  It should be mandatory that every school bus is Brick Township has both interior and exterior cameras installed in their buses.  That would be about 90 buses in total.  Interior cameras can not only monitor the kids behavior but also the driver.  This can help minimize bullying and bad behavior.  We can track where and when each child boards and exits the bus.  Most importantly, we will have video evidence when incidents occur.  The video footage is typically kept for 30-90 days.  The exterior cameras can aid in identifying drivers who disregard the arm signal.

     In at least 21 states it is mandatory to have these cameras installed.  That alone should suggest how beneficial this is.  The average cost per unit per bus can be as low as $850.00 and as high as $7000.00 per unit per bus.  What is the cost to keep our kids safe?  

          Bullying should never be acceptable.  We hear about it everyday, whether from our children or on the news. This could be devastating for a child that can lead to long term issues.  We hear on the news how another child took his or her life because they were being bullied, yet we are still not doing enough. 

     Sign the petition. Lets make a difference together one step at a time.  Our kids trust us to keep them safe.