Scottsdale, Ariz., students who use spitballs on buses may be found out faster: Video equipment is installed on nearly all of the Scottsdale Unified School District's 85 buses, but transferring it in a timely and reliable manner was a problem. The new system uses digital video and Wi-Fi to store more information on the bus and transfer it when the vehicle returns to the bus barn. The video system is used mostly to meet the district's impression of federal requirements for tracking children on and off the bus.
The system can be equipped with cell data modems for remote viewing, but the district has no plans to carry that out. In the realm of accountability, it should be noted that the VCR system in place cost $1,200 per bus and the system that replaces it will be $1,400 per bus. How long were the VCR systems in use? Not noted.