WHEELING — Ohio County Schools will spend about $250,000 to put new cameras with updated technology within its buses and vans.

The cost involves placing eight cameras on each of the school district’s 55 buses, and two cameras on each of its two transport vans, Director of Operations David Crumm told board of education members Monday night.

The cameras will be purchased from the AngelTrax company of Dothan, Alabama.

Crumm explained how the new cameras will be an upgrade from the current ones.

Each full-size bus presently has just six cameras, which are placed at the front and the back of the vehicle.

“Anything you want to look at … you can see heads above benches. That’s about it,” Crumm said. “And where does the majority of the mischief occur? Down below the seats.”

There will be eight cameras now on each school bus, with some cameras now being placed in the middle and providing a better down and inside the benches, he continued.

Another advantage is that the cameras will be better able to get a better view of vehicles that illegally pass the bus when it is stopped, Crumm added. They are able to zoom in on license plates.

He noted the new cameras also will provide better video than the current ones when it is dark outside.

“This really started because the camera system we have right now is very old,” Crumm told board members. “Some don’t function, and they don’t make the parts for them anymore. So we do need an upgrade to our camera system.”

The board meeting Monday night was convened not in the board office, but on the new gym floor at Wheeling Middle School.

Ohio County robotics students who excelled during the recent Vex Robotics World Championships were honored by board members, as were winners of the county winners of the 2023 school bus safety poster contest.

The first class of the “Grow Your Own” program to nurture and encourage students who want to become teachers was recognized.

Madison Elementary School Principal Andrea Trio spoke to the board of her recent trip to Los Angeles to attend the 2023 Milken Educator Awards ceremony, where she and other winners received their checks for $25,000.

The board will next meet at 6 p.m. on May 22 at the board office, 2203 National Road, Elm Grove.