The Greenville Independent School District Board intends this week to approve a measure which would allow for security cameras to be installed on local school buses.
The board is scheduled to consider the measure during Tuesday’s regular session, starting at 6 p.m. in the Wesley Martin Administration Building, 4004 Moulton Street.
The district’s administration and legal counsel have met with TexServe, also known as Dallas County Schools, who would supply 11 security cameras and other equipment to outfit 30 of the district’s school buses to provide photographic evidence of illegal school bus passings. This equipment would be supplied at no cost to the district or the City of Greenville and would be maintained by said company.
In May, the Greenville City Council voted to pass a “Photographic Enforcement and Administrative Adjudication of School Bus Stop Arm Violations” ordinance. Under the program, the cameras would be remotely monitored by people working with the Dallas County Schools District. If a potential violation is confirmed by the office, the video from multiple different cameras would be forwarded to a Greenville Police Department officer to review. The officer could then approve a citation to be sent to the owner of the vehicle as determined by the license plate number and registration records.
The ordinance sets a $300 fine for illegally passing a school bus in the city limits, creates a position of “hearing officer” that would hear any appeals in the Municipal Court, and creates an appeal process whereby a defendant can appeal a ruling to the Municipal Court Judge. The City of Greenville would receive 12.5 percent of all fines collected.