Bus Security Improves

Security for the Jeff Davis County School System’s fleet of buses continues to improve and at last week’s meeting of the Board of Education, Transportation Director Alvin Merritt showed board members how 13 new cameras recently installed have improved the department’s ability to monitor activity in and around the buses.
Merritt said the cameras, purchased from REI development, bring the total REI cameras on buses to 24. There are five cameras per bus — windshield, both sides, back and inside — which have the capability of using Global Positioning System (GPS) to find the location of buses at any time. With the interior cameras, views are shone down in the seats enabling school officials to monitor what went on if a bus returns, for instance, with a damaged seat.
Merritt shared a recent experience when an incident on a bus was captured on video, downloaded to a principal within two minutes, the principal looked at it, the parents came in and he was able to show them the video of the incident.
More than half the fleet is equipped with REI cameras which also monitors the speed of buses.
With Merritt is in hopes the windshield camera will help catch people passing stopped school buses.
Merritt also pointed out that Oct. 21-25 is National Bus Safety Week and Oct. 21 is Driver Appreciation Day.
In Spotlight on Student Achievement, FFA Advisor Cody Herndon recognized students for their accomplishments in Floral Design at the State Fair. • Anslee Davenport – 2nd in Senior Floral Design • Elsa Gonzalez – 4th in Senior Floral Design • Natalie Taylor – 10th in Senior Floral Design • Brooklyn Parlor – 2nd in Junior Design • Abby Yawn – 5th in Junior Design High school principal Greer Smith recognized Adrian Alexander who was chosen to serve on the State Superintendent’s Advisory Council for the 2019-2020 school year. He is one of only 70 high school representatives in the state chosen out of more than 1,000 applicants. Adrian will travel to Atlanta on four occasions throughout the year to represent the school system at the Georgia Department of Education. School and Community: The board agreed to purchase new bus and accepted the T & T Fencing bid to provide new fencing around the newly cleared land behind the annex. Betty Corbitt presented financial reports to the Board. Edye Kerns was approved as a Long Term Substitute Teacher. An agreement between the Dugout Club, the board, and the City of Hazlehurst was approved, releasing liability for use of the old city hall building for the Haunted House sponsored by the Dugout Club.