Upshur County BOE working to make sure students stay safe on their way to school

BUCKHANNON, W.Va (WDTV) - The Upshur County Commission voted to approve a grant for new surveillance cameras on school buses Thursday.

“We have been fortunate to receive yet again another grant called a COPS grant for about a little less than $81,000 to install surveillance, security cameras on our school buses,” said Safety Director for Upshur County Schools Matthew Sisk.

Sisk says it’s an initiative of the county commission and Board of Education.

The new security cameras will be installed in 26 buses.

“We’re very exciting for this project,” said Sisk.

Parents like Kelsey Turansky believe the cameras will make a difference.

“As a parent in Upshur County, anything that promotes the safety of our children in paramount,” said Turansky. “It not only would monitor the behavior of the kids on the bus but those driving around it as well if any investigations needed to occur.”

Sisk says the district is always working to improve the safety of schools.

Recently, the board put out an educational campaign promoting bus safety measures.

“The majority of parents put their children on school buses at least twice a day and keeping those children safe on that bus is important to everybody and so we want to make sure we continue to do that and this is a great way to do it,” said Sisk.

The board has two years to install the cameras but hope to begin as soon as possible.

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