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The U.S. Yellow School Bus Project is one of the many programs supported
by the Points of Light Foundation.
The Points of Light Foundation supports programs designed to help prevent,
solve or ameliorate the effects of serious social problems in the United States.
Points of Light defines serious social problems as those problems that cause
considerable disruption to our lives and the lives of others.
Unfortunately, in 2005, one of the most serious social problems our country
faces is violence—both domestic violence and the threat of violence in the
form of terrorism.
The vision of the USYSB is that by 2008, the safety of all Americans will be
enhanced by using the existing school bus infrastructure to provide a
consistent, unified approach to safeguarding our children, our communities
and our country against terrorism, violence and other emergencies. This will
be accomplished by placing state-of-the-art technology on our nation’s
existing infrastructure of 418,000 yellow school buses.
Buses will be equipped with a choice of equipment packages which can
include:
Hands Free Cell Phone and Radio… 800 MHz two-way trunked cellular radio
and wireless data devices which will allow bus drivers to quickly notify the
appropriate authorities about any potentially dangerous incidents inside and
outside the bus.
Digital Video Recorder…Up to four video cameras that will record and
document activities both on the bus and outside the bus. Recording will be
“tape-less” digital (DVR) and not require any invention from the bus driver or
school staff to change videotapes or reset the system. Optional two channels
of audio can be activated to record inside bus activities of driver and
students, if desired.
Global Tracking System (GPS)…A standard feature included in the DVR is
GPS, which provides real-time vehicle tracking, speed and vehicle location
data embedded in the video recordings.GPS data is also saved on the GPS
networkfor future reference.
WiFi and Cellular Networking…Buses can be equipped with either 802.11
SuperG WiFi and/or Cellular Modems to connect DVR video over cellular
networks permitting (password protected) remote view of video cameras over
the Internet.
The school bus technology will be compatible with DVR equipment
for installation in schools, bus garages and other buildings.
Having WiFi equipped Police Cruisers involved in the YSB Program will permit
the remote viewing of live and recorded video in buses and schools enabling
police and authorities from Homeland Security to make accurate and quick
decisions in case of emergencies such as Columbine and other incidents.
The technology will be linked through a national network of urban and rural
security operation centers (URSOCS). These URSOCS will provide real-time
access to information about threats to critical infrastructure, property and the
economy of our Nation from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or other
emergencies.
·The USYSB will be funded through public and private grants.
Phase-In
·The YSB Team envisions that this project will be implemented in several
phases. At minimum, during the first phase, the YSB Project will provide an
800-megahertz digital trunked two-way radio and data device with tracking
capabilities on each bus. The project will also supply one year of GPS
tracking and two-way radio services. It is expected that the school district will
pick-up the cost of this service after the initial one-year period. Additional
project costs include training, management, consultant fees, evaluation,
marketing, travel and other indirect costs.
·
Two major factors will determine where, when and what technology is placed
on school buses in each jurisdiction. These factors are level of funding, and
need.
1. Level of Funding
Applications for grants to implement this project have already been sent to
several Federal, State and private agencies. The Department of Homeland
Security provides each State with grant money to help protect its
infrastructure. We are hopeful that the States will use their grant to support
this vital project. Grants dollars received from the States can be used to fund
technology for that State. Federal and private grants will be used to
supplement State funding. If, at first, there is not enough funding to outfit
all of the school buses in a particular state, the project team will work with the
State to determine where in the state the technology will provide the most
benefits.
2. Need
The YSB team will work with each State to determine the order in which
school jurisdictions should receive the technology. Then the team will work
with each jurisdiction to determine the order in which their buses will be
equipped and the scope of the technology to be placed on the bus.
The YSB team will also work with state and local officials to establish the
locations and staffing of security operation centers to receive and monitor the
information the technology provides.