Resident raises unanswered bus-assault complaint and nonworking camera concerns at Wallingford-Swarthmore meeting

A Wallingford-Swarthmore resident pressed the school board on March 24 over what he described as an unresolved assault complaint on a school bus and said in-school cameras and bus cameras are not functioning districtwide.

Dean Dennis of Emerald Lane told the board he had previously reported that his son was assaulted on a bus and that he received no follow-up or apology. "My child was assaulted on a bus, and there was no follow-up. There was no accountability," Dennis said. "All I was seeking was just an apology." He said Superintendent Dr. Scanlon later contacted him by phone but that the follow-up was not substantive to the issue he raised.

Dennis also urged the district to install cameras on buses and to repair nonworking cameras inside schools. "There are no cameras on the school bus," he said. "It's come to my attention that the cameras in the schools do not work. I hear that a vast majority of our cameras are not working. How does that square with school safety?"

The transcript records no formal motion or board action taken at the meeting in response to Dennis's comments. Board members did not announce any immediate follow-up actions in the meeting transcript. Dennis asked for improved accountability and a formal response regarding the specific incident and the status of school and bus cameras.

What's next: The meeting record does not show a recorded resolution or assignment of follow-up tasks; the resident said he had been contacted by the superintendent after a prior meeting but expected additional substantive follow up. The transcript does not indicate whether administration later opened a formal investigation or scheduled a staff report to the board.