Cost slows bus-safety bills

Seat belts, video monitors are expensive additions

By Lucas L. Johnson II, The Commercial Appeal
Associated Press
April 3, 2006

NASHVILLE -- A bill to require seat belts and video monitors on Tennessee school buses has stalled in the General Assembly, mainly because of the high cost.

Sen. Roy Herron and Rep. Willie Borchert are sponsoring the bill to require school buses to be equipped with video-recording systems to monitor student conduct.

The legislation failed in a House subcommittee last week and is scheduled this week for the Senate Education Committee, where it's been for nearly a month.

"The challenge right now is trying to make the security equipment affordable," said Herron, D-Dresden.

Herron said the state Department of Education estimates the recording equipment would cost $2.1 million, but he says no amount of money is worth more than a person's life.

Borchert, who represents Stewart County, noted that a school bus driver in his district was fatally shot by a 14-year-old last year. Authorities said the teen shot the woman six times when she stopped to pick him up for school.

"How can you put a price on somebody's life?" asked Borchert, D-Camden.

Alan Ross, president of the National Coalition for School Bus Safety, said he doesn't know of any state that requires monitors to be installed on buses, but he thinks it's a good idea.

"My sympathy goes out to the bus drivers," Ross said. "Anything we could do to help them would be great."

Herron said the video recording systems range from $57 to $2,100. If cost is a concern, then "we need to be talking about the $57 variety," he said.

But officials say there's no way to find an inexpensive way to retrofit school buses with seat belts.

That legislation -- sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry West of Hermitage and Republican Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville -- remains stuck in a House subcommittee and has yet to move in the Senate.

Most school bus seats are designed for three students, but an added seat belt -- whether lap style or harness -- would mean only two students per seat, forcing schools to buy more buses.

"You're going to displace a number of students riding buses," said Pete Japikse, president of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation, which represents the school bus industry. "We're not against anything that will increase the safety on a school bus. Our concern is that we inadvertently hurt other students."