Fairfax Times
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Published: Friday, September 16, 2011
School security cameras proposal draws parent glares in Fairfax County by holly hobbs
A group of high school principals has proposed expanding the use of video surveillance cameras from outside of schools to inside as well.
Adding cameras to common areas such as cafeterias and hallways could reduce bullying behavior, drug trafficking and other discipline issues on school campuses, they said.
Plans were presented to the School Board during a work session on Monday.
Adding indoor cameras, which would not include bathrooms or locker rooms, could free up staff who spend time during lunch and between classes supervising student behavior, principals said.
Currently, there are 372 exterior cameras at 30 schools within the Fairfax County Public School system, according to school staff. This does not include those cameras installed on school buses.
In-school cameras are currently used by neighboring public school systems like Prince William, Loudoun, Stafford, Fauquier and Culpeper counties.
“Not only school security, but the world of security is going this way,” said Dean Tistadt, the school system’s chief executive officer. “There is definitely data that shows that schools that have installed those cameras have reduced vandalism [such as graffiti and property destruction].”
Four options are available to the School Board on this topic, he said. The board could vote to maintain the level of video surveillance, put cameras in the cafeterias and other hot spots like entrance hallways, or put cameras schoolwide.
“Principals are unanimous in wanting these,” Tistadt said.
At least one parent group, however, is opposing the installation of cameras in Fairfax County Public high and secondary schools.
“What is being cited as the rationale for this expense is not rising to the level to justify the expense,” said Hayfield Secondary School parent Michelle Menapace, who heads the Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform parent-group. The group, which represents about 300 parents, was formed in 2005 to lobby for reforms to the school system’s disciplinary policies it deems too stringent.
Adding cameras to cafeterias will cost about $8,000 per school. To install cameras schoolwide, the cost is estimated at $120,000 per school depending on the size and design of the school, said school officials.
“If this was about preventing food fights in the cafeteria, I agree that’s not good. But they knew about that [the West Springfield food fight last year] ahead of time and all they did was send teachers in to video tape with their cell phones,” Menapace said.
The food fight involved more than 100 students during one of the school’s lunch periods. School staff reported that the cafeteria cleanup took about eight hours. Students who were disciplined after the fight, which was believed at the time to be a senior prank, were allowed to do community service to restore certain privileges like attending school functions such as prom.
Similar food fights have been reported at other county public high schools.
“It was about entrapment,” West Springfield parent Jan Falk said of the use of cell phone cameras during the food fight. On expanding camera use, she said, “They are going 100 percent in the wrong direction. It’s a prison. You’re not going to school to learn and be a student. You’re coming in to be a convict.”
Principals proposing more cameras said the video surveillance could be used as a deterrent to “flash mobs” such as these mass-preplanned food fights.
But parents called the proposal a “big brother” move, adding that the video surveillance footage would be used to incriminate students, not prevent crimes.
“A visual alone does not tell the whole story,” she said. “We had one parent saying her [student] got in trouble for pushing a food tray off a table… what they couldn’t see was that the child was responding to a verbal assault.
“It’s not the complete story.”
Principals proposing the expansion of video camera use in schools belong to the High School Principals Association, which is led by Madison High School Principal Mark Merrell. According to a survey by the association, all of the county’s public high schools support increased video surveillance. Requests for an interview Thursday with Merrell were not responded to in time to meet press deadlines.
Parents at Madison High School in Vienna last year called on the school’s principal and other staff to increase their bathroom and locker checks to help reduce illegal drug distribution between students. Meetings were held last October at Madison, during which time parents said their students avoided parts of the school because of drug use and dealing in those areas.
According to the Virginia Department of Education, Madison High School reported 18 alcohol, tobacco or illegal drug offenses on campus or at school sponsored events during the 2009-10 school year, the last reported year. West Potomac High School had the most recorded incidents that year with 39 offenses, and the only school with no offenses recorded was Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
The next step, Tistadt said, is for principals to take the camera proposal to their communities for feedback. Another School Board work session on the topic could be held as early as October.
hhobbs@fairfaxtimes.com