Discussion Subject of the Week 21st - 25th of April

Surveillance in Schools: Safety vs. Personal Privacy
The Effects of Security Cameras at Schools

The important vocabulary in the text has been made purple for you.

From http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/jkelsey/surveillance/cameras.htm

Introduction

In recent years, violent episodes in schools in Arkansas, Colorado, California, Kentucky, Mississippi and other states have led educators and legislators to make "Safe Schools" a priority. Like many issues in education, suggestions on how to make a school "safe" have proceeded simultaneously on many different tracks. Teaching students strategies they can use to combat emotionally explosive situations through initiatives such as character education and peer mediation is one track that is currently used to help make schools safer. Another method that many schools are pursuing is stationing a full-time security officer (or officers) in the building. One of the most controversial methods involves surveillance of students through video cameras.

Benefits

At this time there are no unbiased studies of the benefits and drawbacks of the use of video surveillance systems in schools. Naturally, proponents of using these systems emphasize the benefits, while opponents discuss the drawbacks. Benefits to using cameras depend on the individual school and the problems it faces. Experts recommend following a procedure that first determines the problem, then decides how surveillance equipment can be used to address the problem.

One of the advantages that proponents of video surveillance claim is peace of mind for students and staff (Green, 1999, Why video cameras?). "Security experts and administrators who use the cameras say students and teachers seem to appreciate the increased sense of security". Naturally this is one of the most important features of a system that schools use in response to recent highly-publicized incidents of violence in the schools. Green argues that although cameras are passive, information about their presence will make its way through the community. Students and staff feel safer knowing that potential perpetrators will be scared off by the presence of cameras before committing an offense.

Another advantage that can be measured is a reduction in property damages such as vandalism and theft. "Far too often the administration can only react to vandalism with time-consuming, seldom successful and often fruitless attempts to identify the perpetrators". "The costs [of theft] are monetary (no money for replacement) and inconvenience (educational opportunity loss for our students)". Video surveillance systems provide a solution for these issues. "Cameras certainly multiply security’s eyes, helping the administration to apprehend and discipline students caught on camera". Cameras also provide security in hidden areas of schools that are physically difficult to monitor.

Finally, schools using video surveillance claim better behavior because of monitoring. ''Sometimes just the idea in kids' minds that there's a camera recording them keeps them from causing trouble or being difficult". "Word gets out (about the cameras and searches) and I think it's had an effect that way". Some schools view cameras as having a dual purpose. "All of Bullitt County's buses are being equipped with cameras to randomly monitor student behavior and driver performance". Since stored video records provide tangible evidence, school officials may find employee performance evaluations easier to do using video surveillance tools than face-to-face. The use of video records as evidence and as a means of identification may also be a reason students may be less inclined to cause trouble. "The solid documentation that a video recording provides can be invaluable in situations involving liability claims".

Drawbacks

Opponents to using video surveillance systems in schools emphasize several major drawbacks that need to be considered when studying the implementation of this kind of system. Cost is an obvious consideration. The equipment, testing, and installation of a system in a single school could cost $30,000 or more. Further, the school will have to provide money in future budgets for maintaining and upgrading the equipment.

Equally important is the question of effectiveness. "'Will it let an administrator know who did what? Sure,' said William Behre, an assistant professor at the College of New Jersey's Department of Special Education. 'Will it stop violence in any significant way? I don't think so.' He also noted that Columbine High School used surveillance cameras". Behre was a researcher in a University of Michigan study that studied violence in Midwestern schools and how the school administration responded. Opponents to cameras claim that as passive control devices, they won't be as effective in preventing violence as an adult would be.

Another disturbing thought is that adults with access to the surveillance system will use it for profiling purposes. "What assurances can be made that a student will not be unfairly targeted for surveillance because of their race, sexual orientation, gender, appearance, or religious beliefs"? Students have the concern they will be individually tracked by school administration. In The Four Problems With Public Video Surveillance, the American Civil Liberties Union urges "a consensus on limits for the capability of public CCTV systems" and "legally enforceable rules for the operation of such systems".

Finally, there is the question of how a surveillance system affects student morale. "When schools turn to technology as a 'quick fix,' there is a high risk of reinforcing a climate of fear and distrust, undermining the social ecology of the school, instead of actually having an impact on the identified problem". "What's wrong with the school? Have they lost the trust in their own students to a point that they have to spy on their lives"? "There's no indication that there's a need for this kind of prison-style security. The message it sends to students is 'We don't trust you, and everybody is a suspect'". "The more restrictions schools impose on students, the more alienated students are likely to feel, and the less involved in the learning process". "The cameras are teaching that government can and will invade your private space". "Heavy-handed school search policies foster distrust between students and administrators".

If you want to read the rest of the text, go to: http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/jkelsey/surveillance/cameras.htm