I have been a bus driver since late 2006. I know the inside story, the scoop, the down low dirt of what it takes to be a bus driver, how to handle kids and adults, and how to survive on the "streets" so to speak. I used to have a blog, feel free to browse it or ask me a question here.
Well given that most bus stops are in public places, I would venture to say that recording is okay. However that being said, there may be some legality reasons why you should not record anything involving other people's children. Best to check with your local laws.
As long as you are following procedures your boss should back you up. We've had parents threaten to get us fired, but in the end they look like the idiots because we are following all procedures and policies in regards to bus and student behavior. I wouldn't worry too much unless you are doing something that is in clear violation of the rules.
I don't know if there is a law or not. Most, if not all, school buses come equipped with heaters. Not every bus has an air conditioner, but a heater is fairly standard. Occasionally, as with other mechanical items on a bus, the heater may break down. This is usually unexpected and not preventable. It makes for a very cold bus ride in the mornings during the winter months if a heater breaks. Most of the time its fixable or if it needs further service, the bus companies will often swap buses out for a fully functioning bus. Also, as I told the kids who got on my bus in short sleeves and shivering this morning while holding their jacket in their arms... a jacket works better when its ON!
Call it in to the authorities, or to the local bus shop/school district labeled on the outside of the school bus. Sometimes drivers do get distracted and make poor decisions. They still need to be notified so that they can adjust their driving style. There have been a few times where I have not made the best decision and pulled out inadvertently in front of someone on a blind corner, but we are human and all make mistakes. I would rather someone come to me and tell me that I need to watch how I drive than to endanger children anymore than necessary.
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That depends on the individual bus driver but most of us at least do a short walk through at the end of every route to make sure the kids have all exited the bus. Whether they dig in the seats and find objects hidden is dependent on each individual bus driver. Personally, I check my bus, but my kids also know that they better take all their objects with them because some other kids aren't honest.
I'm not sure of the legalities associated with retarders or governors on buses, however I do know that the federal speedlimit for buses is 55 mph maximum. Various states and counties may have their own rules, but as for ours, we are pre-set to 55-59 mph maximum speed. This is to keep the children safe as well as drivers.
A school buses camera is usually only active when the bus is switched in the "on" position. The only exception to this is when a bus is switched off after a period of time. Our camera systems are designed to run for about 10-15 minutes after the bus is officially "off." This is so that it can be shown that we do our walk throughs to check the bus for any sleeping child and also prevents a bus driver from turning off the bus just to yell or swear at children off camera. If they have to wait 15 minutes the boss man knows something is up. As for any other security cameras that may be around the bus depots, I'm not sure, but some depots do have security cameras on the building and in the parking lot to ensure protection.
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