Alcorn County School Buses Upgraded with New GPS Systems, Interior and Exterior Cameras

The school buses for students in Alcorn School District have been fitted with new equipment, in the interest of keeping students safer.

According to WTVA, each of the school buses used by the district has been given a radio with GPS capabilities. In a situation that proves to be an emergency, bus drivers will be able to connect with 911 dispatchers. This will be possible even in rural areas with weak or zero cell phone service, which is common for many back road areas in Alcorn School District.

Superintendent Brandon Quinn spoke of the need for this technology, noting that many of the school bus routes are in rural areas, with cell phone service so weak that it’s nearly impossible to make contact.

Quinn stated, “Oftentimes, school bus drivers are on their own.”

Real-time tracking using the new GPS capabilities began in August, according to WTVA.

Randy Holt, the director of Alcorn School District Transportation, said that three new buses also feature interior and exterior cameras. Those three buses were received by the district in January. Over the next two years, the district is expected to get six more.

Holt said, “I think it should be kind of a standard because what’s more important than our children on the buses on the roads?”