South Carolina S 451: School Bus Interior Camera System

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 451 Text of Previous Version (Mar. 13, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 451

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 
59-67-75 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT ALL NEWLY PURCHASED OR LEASED SCHOOL BUSES MUST 
BE EQUIPPED WITH AN INTERIOR CAMERA.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 67, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 
59-67-75. (A) Beginning with the 
2025 procurement cycle for state-owned or leased school buses, the State must 
ensure that all newly purchased or leased school buses are equipped with an 
interior camera system provided by the Department of Education. The camera 
system must:

 (1) 
include multiple cameras or camera angles positioned to capture complete 
coverage of interior activity;

 (2) 
record high-definition digital video; and

 (3) 
store recordings securely.

 (B) 
Prior to each school bus operating shift, proper operation of the camera system 
must be verified. School districts shall maintain written records of system 
checks and ensure that any malfunctioning equipment is repaired within five 
business days.

 (C) If 
footage of an incident that occurred on a state-owned or leased school bus is 
requested by the Department of Education, it must be provided within five 
school days. All other requests for footage made to school districts shall 
follow procedures established by the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act 
and be provided at no cost.

 (D) To 
ensure proper data security and privacy, each school district shall:

 (1) 
implement secure storage protocols for recorded footage;

 (2) 
restrict access to recorded footage to authorized personnel only; and

 (3) 
establish procedures for footage review and retention.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on March 13, 2025 at 11:32 AM