BEAUMONT, Calif. – Beaumont Unified School District’s board has approved funding for CCTV surveillance cameras to be installed at Beaumont High School’s new campus and its former campus, which will now be called San Gorgonio Middle School.
The total amount budgeted is $100,000, and the new cameras are in addition to those already installed or in the process of being installed at several other Inland school districts. Beaumont Unified will purchase the surveillance system with state funds from safety-related programs.
The cameras will monitor common areas, such as the lunchrooms, and will be used to combat vandalism. The system will also track suspicious cars and people.
Privacy advocates expressed concerns about the potential for abuse, what the school will do with the information collected and how long the images will be retained. District officials say they do not expect the footage will be monitored continuously. Instead, it will be viewed to investigate specific incidents.
