Johnsonville school buses get new cameras ahead of school year

JOHNSONVILLE, SC (WBTW) – After an alleged sexual assault on a school bus from Florence School District 5 was reported in March, the district added more surveillance cameras to each bus.

As students in Florence head back to school Thursday, school officials in Johnsonville say they are more prepared in terms of safety and security of children this school year.

Florence School District 5 Superintendent Dr. Randy Smiley says the district used money from a $1 million bond to upgrade 11 bus cameras.

“It has the ability to not only pan the bus but also look down in the seat,” describes Dr. Smiley of the new camera system. “You also can hear conversations that students are having. It enables you to get a very good picture of what is going on, on the bus.”

Johnsonville students now have five cameras on each bus watching at all times, compared to just two cameras on each bus last year.

While the superintendent insists the school board did not install the cameras as a response to the sexual assault claims, parents of children who ride that bus say the added security means peace of mind.

Dexondrea Goss says her child was on the bus during the assault. In March, her son complained about a fight on the bus and said, “The bus driver didn’t do anything.”

When she found out there was a potential sexual assault, she didn’t let her son ride the bus for the rest of the school year. She says the district should have handled the situation differently with more transparency.

After learning of the new cameras, she reconsidering the transportation options.

“Installing more cameras will be good because you will have proof of what’s really going on,” says Goss. “More kids will ride the bus and more incidents won’t happen.”

In addition to the cameras, Dr. Smiley says bus drivers were trained earlier this week on signs of bullying or worse.

“On safety concerns and things you can do and don’t do on buses and things to watch for,” says Dr. Smiley.

Former bus driver Dorthy Love says bus drivers should gain trust and build a relationship with students to make kids feel comfortable telling them if something happened.

“The cameras are good to back up the performance of the bus driver and safety of those kids,” states Love.

News13 asked Dr. Smiley if the students accused of the sexual assault on the school bus in March would return to their respective schools within the district, but he declined to comment on individual students.

Major Mike Nuun with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office confirmed no charges were filed on the students.

Last week, the district submitted an application for a $450,000 grant from the South Carolina Department of Education to upgrade cameras on school campuses. They are expected to find out if they will be awarded the money in September.

Open house for Johnsonville families will be held Tuesday night.