DeKalb County School District is moving toward a districtwide program that could put automated stop-arm cameras on more than 1,000 school buses, with the first installations potentially beginning by January.
The district is currently seeking a vendor for the program. Director of Student Transportation Bernando Brown said the camera system is expected to come at no direct cost to the district, similar to a grant-supported arrangement.
DeKalb County currently operates 1,044 school buses and transports about 45,000 students, according to district transportation officials.
The proposed cameras would serve a different purpose from the cameras already inside the buses. Existing equipment primarily monitors activity inside the bus, while the new system would be positioned outside to capture vehicles that pass a stopped bus.
The planned technology would use multiple camera angles, license-plate recognition and GPS information. The cameras would activate when the bus’s red warning lights and stop arm are engaged, allowing the system to record vehicles that pass the bus.
Brown said the district wants the system to provide a clearer record of violations and help law enforcement determine whether an offense occurred. The recorded information would be sent to law enforcement for review, although it has not yet been determined whether school police or another local law enforcement agency would handle the cases.
The push comes as dangerous passing around school buses remains a concern in Georgia and across the country.
A Governors Highway Safety Association survey released Sept. 15 found that 46% of parents whose children ride school buses said their child had experienced a close call involving a motor vehicle near a school bus or school zone. The survey also found that 53% of parents believe dangerous driving continues because motorists do not think they will be caught.
The same survey found that 91% of parents supported automated stop-arm enforcement for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.
Georgia has also strengthened its approach to school-bus safety. A 2024 state law, effective July 1, 2024, enhanced penalties for illegally meeting or overtaking a school bus and included provisions involving notification of insurance carriers after repeat violations.
Under Georgia’s school-bus rules, motorists generally must stop when approaching a bus that is loading or unloading students with its warning signals activated. On a divided highway with a physical median, drivers traveling in the opposite direction may continue, while vehicles traveling behind the bus must stop.
DeKalb County says drivers should never pass a school bus when its red lights are flashing and stop arm is extended, except where the law provides an exception for divided roadways.
For DeKalb transportation officials, the proposed camera program is intended to address violations that can happen in only a few seconds but can put children at serious risk.
Brown said some areas of the county see illegal passing so frequently that it can happen almost every time a bus stops.
The district’s stated goal is to improve safety for students during the daily trip to and from school. If the procurement process stays on schedule, the first phase of the exterior camera installations could begin by January 2027.
