Clover Park Schools to Get New Video System On Buses

As is common with the end of a school year, Monday’s Clover Park School Board meeting was something of a housekeeping mission.

Board members passed five individual action items during the meeting at district headquarters, including the installing of a new video-security system on district school buses.

“This is a priority for the reason of the high failure rate of our current video system,” said Superintendent Debbie LeBeau. “It has served us well but in the technology field, things change quickly.”

LeBeau said that they went through seven different proposals before deciding on a $304,000 purchase of 247 Security for the digital video-security system and $106,000 from MicroK12 for wireless and computer options.

The new system will be installed over the summer on the district’s 138 school buses. CPSD first went to a full videotaping system on buses in 2008.

Board vice president Carole Jacobs said that she remembered when buses did not have video, “And we heard a lot of ‘he said, she said’ in hearings.”

Now, she said, it has become a “three-minute trial” as parents come in and view the  incident tapes.

Jacobs said she could not recall any hearings since the videotaping system went in.

“It really is better for our kids,” she said, “and the parents know their kids are getting home safely.”

Board members also approved a pair of consultant and professional service contract amendments for speech language pathology services.

LeBeau said that when the district was unable to retain a staff member for speech language pathology services, they had to go to contract staffing “as the year went on (and) we found more students to need services.”

However, they were getting to the end of the contract amount, she said.

The first, entered into with Sunbelt Staffing in October 2010, was amended $5,500 to not exceed $79,500 for services. The second contract, entered into last September with Soliant Health Inc., was increased by $8,000 to not exceed $80,000.

The board also approved use of up to $400,000 in funds from the Department of Defense Education Activity’s Invitational Grant to support math and science instruction at three schools.  Equipment to be purchased for and Middle Schools and High School includes Smart Boards and Texas Instruments Inspire calculators.

Also during the meeting, LeBeau said that 10 students in CPSD earned varsity letters in community service this year. While the minimum amount of hours required is 145, she said that all of the students did more than double what was required. The United Way of Pierce County recognized them on May 26.

Jacobs also reported on having attended the Healthy Schools Summit in King County, where Elementary’s after-school fitness program was lauded for its success in “helping students to start moving and get more active.”

The program, which has more than 30 kids enrolled, uses Communities In Schools transportation so the students are able to stay after school–and not add an extra element of work to the school day.

 “It was very well received from the start,” Jacobs said.