Wareham's school buses will be outfitted with cameras when school begins in September.

The district will purchase the cameras, which will record video and audio, at a cost of $12,000. Additionally, two part-time bus monitors will be hired to "float" between school buses to keep an eye on students at a cost of $6,500 per year.

Both costs will be paid out of the Transportation Department's "revolving fund," which consists of the money the district generates by transporting students from other districts, among other tasks.

The decision came as a response to parents' concerns about 5th-grade students, who will now attend Wareham Middle School, riding the buses with Wareham High School students, as both the middle school and high school students are picked up at the same time.

"In response to concerns expressed by parents, we certainly anticipate that we're going to be proactive," said Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood, speaking during her first School Committee meeting on Wednesday and her fifth day on the job.

If an incident occurs, the appropriate school principal will review the video recording and decide on any disciplinary action, Shaver-Hood said.

Students will also be seated on the buses by grade-level, with 5th-graders in the front.

The School Department had been mulling over hiring bus monitors for every route but, Shaver-Hood noted, that would not be cost-effective.

"If we have a bus route that is causing concern, we would place the monitor on that route," she explained.

When the school year begins, parents will also be able to report busing concerns anonymously via the district's website, www.warehamps.org.

"I think this is a great idea, and if we have the money to do it, we should do it," said School Committee member Kenneth Fontes, adding: "Some people think it's a right to ride the buses. It's a privilege. And we have to have concern for the safety of our bus drivers as well as the kids that ride the bus."