Transportation staff recommend digital radios, van cameras and a wheelchair‑accessible bus after safety review; bus‑patrol data shows hotspots

Easton Area School District transportation staff recommended multiple safety and service upgrades at a standing‑committee meeting, including replacing the district’s aging radio system with a modern digital network, adding high‑definition cameras to vans that carry students with behavioral or special‑needs transport plans, and purchasing a wheelchair‑accessible bus to reduce outsourced contracts.

Ben Bernhardt, who led the review for the Transportation Department, framed the recommendations around three priorities: safety, security and service. He told the board the current radio system is 16–17 years old, offers a single channel with limited privacy and accountability, and suffers coverage and audio quality problems. He said the department tested two vendor solutions and recommended a modern digital system with separate operational and emergency channels, vehicle ID, panic alerts and better audio — features he said improve dispatcher and driver communications and allow remote microphone activation in an emergency.

Bernhardt recommended a Motorola XPR‑series digital setup (the vendor described as a higher‑grade device during the presentation) and said a modern system’s initial investment is higher but will be less expensive over the…