As Cleveland City Schools students return, drivers reminded of stop-arm bus cameras

From Local 3 News: As students return to Cleveland City Schools hallways this week, district leaders remind anyone driving through the Cleveland area to be aware.

“We have cameras on the buses that identify drivers who pass those bus stop signs that are out, and we have identified many of those,” said Dr. Jeff Elliott, director of schools. “We continue to implement this as we begin this new school year, because we all want to make sure our students are safe arriving to school [and] going home from school.”

The district began a partnership with the national school safety technology company, BusPatrol, in February. The stop-arm cameras are on just 10 of the district’s buses but have already led to hundreds of citations.

After cameras catch potential violators, the Cleveland Police Department reviews each case to determine whether a person illegally passed.

From May through mid-July, police reviewed 355 videos and issued 311 citations.

Fines are $250 for first-time offenders and $500 for repeat offenders.

Multiple cameras placed on the sides and top of the bus provide a 360-degree view. The cameras are connected to an AI engine called AVA, which can sense when the bus reaches a complete stop.
 
Combatting the Post-Pandemic Slide
While Dr. Elliott notes a growth in third-grade test scores, combatting the post-pandemic learning slide remains top of mind, even six years later.

“Literacy has been a very big focus of ours for many years now,” Elliot said. “In the last six years, we really had a strong focus at the early literacy area, and so our K-2 teachers, and our K-5 teachers especially, have really worked hard on securing and teaching those foundational skills like phonics and phonemic awareness, and we continue to do that. We're seeing success.”

New Principal at Cleveland Middle School
At Cleveland Middle School, the new school year doesn’t just mark a new beginning for students.

Emily Raper is beginning her new role as principal.

“[I’m] very excited to be starting the school year. It's very special to me,” she said. “This is my community. These are my students. These are my co-workers, my teachers. This is just this is home, and so I'm just happy to be here and be able to lead our school into the future.”

Raper began her career in 2011 as a student teacher at the school, before becoming a teacher and eventually rising into the administration as assistant principal.

She’s said she’s committed to getting back to the basics and noted that middle schools have the challenge of filling learning gaps from students’ earlier years.

“We are really focusing on student engagement and student connection,” Raper said.

“When people are connected to a place, when they feel that they belong, it's easier to jump in [and be] less apathetic. So, what we are doing with our students is we're really focusing on engaging teaching innovative strategies in the classroom and ways to engage students who maybe weren't used to school… Something that we focus on here is how do we help students that have a deficiency for whatever reason, and how do we fill in those holes in the wall?”

Half of Cleveland City Schools students returned to the classroom Tuesday morning, as part of the first of two reconnection days. The phased-in approach aims to help acclimate students to the new school year, before returning on a full-time basis on Friday. School is closed Thursday due to Tennessee’s statewide elections.

In welcoming students back, Dr. Elliott also applauded schools recognized for their STEM programs. He also encouraged families to check out Barbara’s Market, where students in need can get food, clothing and household items for free.

“Our teachers have been hard at work, even this summer, getting ready for their new school year,” Dr. Elliott said. “They're so excited about our students coming back. It's always great to start off a new year. Our teachers are ready. Our students are coming back, and we're so thrilled.”