School administrations assume that installing surveillance cameras into their schools will ensure safety for their students. They also believe that it will help them solve theft issues and fights; however, camera equipment can be very expensive. According to David Rapp, high-end systems can cost up to $500,000 or more excluding annual maintenance fees. That amount of money can seem pretty pricey, especially for public schools.
Students who attend Seaholm High School and Groves High School in Oakland County, Michigan, discovered that their administrators were considering security cameras in their schools, so they formed the group Students Against Security Cameras (SASC). They argue that the installment of surveillance cameras is an “unnecessary expense” for their low-income schools, and it would “promote an atmosphere of distrust” in the schools. Therefore, the students started to attend school board meetings in order to protest the plan.
Personally, I felt quite uneasy when I found out that Mayfair got surveillance cameras. It made me uncomfortable knowing that someone could be watching me at all times. Even though I have never broken a school rule or done something to be reprimanded and deserving of detention or suspension, I still felt like one wrong move would get me into so much trouble.
Do you think that having surveillance cameras in schools is necessary or is it an invasion of privacy for students and teachers? Do the surveillance cameras at Mayfair make you feel more safe or uncomfortable? Should schools get consent from students and parents before installing surveillance cameras? Should the money spent on these expensive cameras be used on other important issues like providing more supplies for teachers and their classrooms?
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751958
Karla Colon
In my opinion, the installment of cameras in our school, Mayfair was not the correct move because they came out of nowhere, one day they weren't there and the next, they were already installed. The school should have gotten consent from the parents and the students to put up cameras since it's their kids that are being taped on camera. Instead of using all that money on cameras that, to be honest, I haven't seen them help much, they could have used the money for educational purposes.
ReplyDeleteI believe they did send out a pamphlet to everyones parents saying they would install it, and besides if you were that upset about this why don't you do something about it and petition to remove it?
DeleteExcuse me but what are you doing that warrants you to be paranoid while being surveyed in public? What act are you committing that you aren't supposed to? It's called, "public school", for a reason. It's a school that is public, and sure high end systems cost a lot. So get a low end system! Do you think Mayfair honestly got a 500,000 thousand dollar system? Hell to the no. I'm fine as long as I'm not being surveyed in my neighborhood or in my house because that is for sure a major invasion of privacy.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, hardly anything is private. Of course, with the installation with surveillance cameras, privacy easily becomes taken away from us. I can understand having a few surveillance cameras on campus, maybe to help with fights, robberies, and the constant fire alarm pulling, but I think that the school should have asked for consent. Like you Karla, I haven’t broken a school rule, but being watched made me feel as if I had something to hide when I didn’t. Maybe one way we would feel better about surveillance cameras is if we knew what exactly they were being used for. To me, it would be a better option to use the money for supplies for the teachers and kids.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to say really, because I see the purpose in installing security cameras, but at the same time it is quite disturbing to know that you are on surveillance while you are at school. One thing I will agree with however is that camera installation is expensive, and maybe our school should have used that money for something else like equipment and supplies in classrooms and for staff. I would consider this issue an invasion of privacy, but we already have to follow the rules on campus and lose some of our rights anyways, so I am not too surprised or alarmed by this since it is just another regulation.
ReplyDeleteI do think that Mayfair should have asked for consent before installing cameras. I am not completely sure if the school did ask so, correct me if I am wrong, but I personally did not receive any letter or anything asking for consent. I do think that some cameras are useful and are very beneficial. Unfortunately, our school does tend to have many fights and people disobeying the rules. In those aspects, cameras are very helpful. Even though I have never done anything to break a rule, I did feel a little uncomfortable when they were first installed. No, I did not have anything to hide. However, I did not like the fact that anybody could be watching me, and I would be completely unaware of it. I do agree that sometimes cameras are necessary to keep the school under control, but I do understand how people could consider it an invasion of their privacy.
ReplyDeleteUm, It is definitely not an invasion of privacy. What are you doing in the hallways anyway? They're not in any classrooms or bathrooms, so they only see what you're doing in the hallways. I don't even think they needed parental consent, everywhere you go has security cameras; Ever been to the grocery store? Yeah, they're watching you buy those Potatoes. God forbid they see you eat lunch.
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