Members of the Loudon County Board of Education voted to accept changes to the policy governing bus cameras after adding a new provision of their own. 

This issue came to the fore during the last school year when a driver was arrested for driving under the influence of prescription drugs and another bus was involved in an accident after which it was revealed the recording card in the bus's camera had been removed leaving no visual evidence of the crash. 

The original changes in the policy are minor, the most significant of which states, "Violators of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action at the discretion of the Director of Schools." 

Before the vote board member Bill Marcus said the policy of who could retrieve the card from bus cameras needed to be clarified.

"Nothing says Luttrell (Transportation Director Gil Luttrell) should be notified if a card is taken from a school bus camera," Marcus said.

Board member Gary Ubben said the cards are "rotated very often" and having to notify Luttrell every time one is removed could be an added burden for Luttrell.

"If you're in charge it shouldn't be a burden," Marcus said.  He suggested the policy be amended to read if a card was removed the transportation director be notified.

"That's where the ball was dropped before," Marcus said in reference to the incident when a bus was wrecked without a card being in the bus camera system. 

Director of Loudon County Schools Wayne Honeycutt suggested the revision read anytime a card is removed from a bus camera for any reason the director of transportation be notified. 

County school principals in the audience when asked responded that the number of times bus camera cards have been reviewed varies greatly from school to school. 

Principal Tim Berry of North Middle School said during the past school year he had looked at cards "three or four times a week" while Loudon High School Principal Cheri Parrish said she had reviewed cards only a few times. 

"It was a good year," she said. 

Board member Van Shaver agreed the policy change was a good idea and would help eliminate instances like the unrecorded bus wreck. He also noted it was a good way to help principals, teachers and bus drivers avoid liability.

Honeycutt noted such a policy change would also protect Luttrell.

The board voted to accept the new policy with the change requiring the director of transportation be notified if a card is taken from a bus camera.