An Aurora, Illinois School District may place cameras on school buses, reports the Daily Herald. The move is being considered as an effort to reduce behavior incidents on the district's buses.

Special education parents have typically held mixed views over the idea of videotaping children with disabilities. Those most concerned about the impact of cameras are parents of children with behavioral disabilities and attention deficit disorders because they feel the cameras shift the focus from behavior management to disciplinary measures.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires schools to provide special transportation to students with disabilities with a need and who have it included on their individual education programs. Special education buses typically transport students who have need for physical accommodations such as a wheelchair lift or who have medical needs during transport. Students with severe emotional or behavioral problems may be placed on special education buses with staff trained to address impulsive behaviors or violent outbursts that could cause harm to themselves or others.

Cameras have been found effective when used to:

• Provide general safety information;
• Discourage problem behaviors;
• Enable school transportation officials to monitor the bus at all times;
• Record problem behavior and monitor effectiveness of behavior intervention plans;
• Record behavior for evidence for disciplinary purposes, liability issues, or for evidence should criminal behavior occur.

The use of cameras on special education buses raises student privacy issues and sometimes leaves schools weighing the importance of safety and stopping bullying behavior versus privacy rights. What do you think about this? Stop by the learning disabilities forum and speak your mind.