Back in August, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees drew up a policy on schools’ use of video surveillance cameras on school grounds. On Tuesday, Barnstable became the first town on Cape Cod to implement the policy.
The policy states security cameras can be used in school district buildings to “ensure the health, welfare and safety of all students, staff and visitors, to deter theft, vandalism and other negative behavior, to safeguard district buildings, grounds and equipment, and to monitor unauthorized individuals in or on school property.”
Barnstable School Committee Chair Margeaux Weber said the district currently has video surveillance cameras on buses and in school buildings, but new cameras could soon be added.
“We are looking at revamping the security cameras throughout the district,” Weber said in a CapeCod.com report.
Weber has been pleased with the cameras, calling them a “very reasonable and unfortunately necessary measure.”
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The Massachusetts Association of School Committee’s policy also states video recordings obtained by the school district’s security cameras are the sole possession of the school district. Law enforcement can be granted access to the recordings through the school’s superintendent.
