The Warren City School District, in northeast Ohio, is protesting a subpoena to release school bus security tapes ' under the guise of protecting students' privacy rights ' which might have recorded criminal incidents among students. Despite the protests, Warren schools have indicated they will release the tapes to prosecutors to assist their investigation of a assault that knocked a kindergartner unconscious and led to the firing of the driver.
The tapes supposedly could also aid the prosecutors' investigation of an April 6 incident in which a student, pants down and wearing a condom, pretended to have sex with another student on a bus trip. The district's protests ignore the initial purpose of school bus security tapes ' to monitor students' behavior and determine appropriate discipline should an incident arise.
The school system fears the privacy of uninvolved students riding the buses will be violated if the tapes are released, but that should not outweigh the pursuit of justice or disciplinary action in these two cases ' one of which involves the harming of a young child. It seems senseless to base prosecution on hearsay and testimony when physical proof is available. The protests raise the question of why the cameras would be installed to monitor student behavior if the tapes go unused. The footage would help prosecutors and the school district to best assess the degree of discipline deserved and would also reveal the role of the bus drivers in these incidents.
The Tribune Chronicle reports that other students might have been involved in the April 6 incident. The extent and rationalization of each student's involvement would be most accurately revealed by a factual presentation of events. The tapes leave no room for exaggeration and make it difficult for students to undermine their contribution to the incident.
If the Warren City school district possesses a physical recount of these incidents, it has the responsibility to provide prosecutors with such evidence. Assessing the events correctly will better serve the non-participants because the offending students will be disciplined accordingly, lowering the threat of a recurrence.
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