DAYTON, Ohio – Oakwood City School District officials in Dayton, Ohio, have given the go-ahead to install security cameras at all its campuses during the summer break, according to a newspaper report.
Scheduled to be completed by the first day of school, surveillance cameras will be deployed in locations inside and outside doors, and in hallways, the Dayton Daily News reported.
In all, 81 cameras will be installed at the district’s five campuses, including 32 cameras at a high school. The estimated cost of $157,000 comes with a five-year warranty and training for school personnel. Digital Video Security of Dayton will perform the installation at each site, the newspaper reported.
Monitors will allow principals, school secretaries and other personnel to view activities at the doorways, both inside and outside the schools. Activities can also be viewed at the school board offices, as well as the Oakwood Safety Department.
The proposal to install a CCTV solution throughout the district began in the fall of 2006 after the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office performed a threat assessment audit for the school district. A specific suggestion in the assessment called for all cameras to be deployed in visible locations.
“If you make your cameras obvious, visitors understand that they are being videotaped,” Superintendent Mary Jo Scalzo told the newspaper.
Scalzo says the idea of installing security cameras has been brought up by parents in the past. And while the cameras are being installed for improved security and deterrence, the cameras’ use is expected to broaden.
“Knowing that we will have this capability, we know it will only be a matter of time before we’ll want to consult them for discipline reasons,” Scalzo told the newspaper.