School board approves five-year contract for bus camera system with Provision Video Systems

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted April 3 to approve a contract with Provision Video Systems LLC to install onboard video cameras, Cloud Connect services and GPS on district buses. The contract was presented as $708,000 per year, totaling $3,540,000 over five years; the board passed the motion (moved by Mr. Russ; seconded by Ms. Soule). The motion carried.

Transportation staff said the purchase will outfit up to 500 buses under the contract, with high-definition cameras, per-camera audio and a cloud service for event video. “We ask for your approval for this contract with Provision Video Systems LLC,” presenter Mr. McCann told the board during the item’s introduction. Interim Administrative Director of Transportation Mister Howell described features and deployment timing and said installations could begin in June so some summer-school buses would operate with the system.

Staff described how the system differs from previous DVR approaches: each camera records to a solid-state drive on the vehicle and Provision’s Cloud Connect will automatically upload event video to the cloud; staff said event clips will live on the cloud for 60 days unless locked from deletion. The presenters said the system supports live viewing and remote diagnostics so staff can be notified if a camera becomes unhealthy.

The district sought a trigger that would capture vandalism and pre-boarding incidents; Howell said the company proposed motion detectors so recordings begin when the motion sensor detects movement and continue for 10 minutes after motion ceases. The presenters also described a GPS module tied to the camera system (separate from the district’s existing GPS) that will show bus locations for troubleshooting and response.

Board members asked technical and operational questions. Board member Martin asked how new buses would be handled; Howell said new buses can be fitted at the factory or after receipt. Board member Soule asked whether parents or the hotline could confirm a bus’s location in real time; staff said the system provides a live view and GPS feed that can serve as a backup to the district’s primary GPS. Board member Lewis asked about data usage and retention; company representatives said most continuous video remains on the device and only event video is moved to the cloud, and provided an expected on-device retention window of roughly 30–60 days depending on motion and settings.

Staff reported that Provision’s quote allowed spreading payments over five years (reducing upfront cost) and that the company offered night-vision capability, per-camera audio, 1080p HD resolution and diagnostic alerts. Warranty coverage and an in-district position to assist with installations and repairs were discussed; Howell said a position is built into the budget to support the program and that replacement cameras would be kept on hand where possible.

Clarifying details in the discussion included some differing references to on-device storage sizes in the presentation: Howell initially described "4 terabyte solid state drive" capacity per camera during the presentation slides, and later representatives described a 1-terabyte SD card as the on-device cache; board materials and contract exhibits should be consulted for the definitive technical specification before procurement or deployment.

Public comment was not offered on the item. The board’s recorded action: motion to approve by Mr. Russ, seconded by Ms. Soule; the secretary called the vote and the motion carried.